Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Meercroft Care is 4.07 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
82% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
How well the home is run is below the survey average
63% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
81% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Sources and Explanation
This is a programmatic interpretation of published data, not an in-person inspection or a separate expert-assigned score. The figures are the Elderberry Index and its four government component ratings; a measure the home has no published rating for is left out. Our rating methodology.
Ratings: August 2026. Survey comparisons: 2025 interview responses from that extract. Other Australian homes in the same ratings extract; survey comparisons also require the same interview year. Each eligible home has equal weight; missing/invalid values excluded. These are descriptive comparisons, not resident-weighted or adjusted for differences in care needs.
How findings are selected
Survey gaps of at least 3 percentage points, rating gaps of at least 0.3 stars, and changes of at least 10 percentage points can qualify. These are editorial selection thresholds, not tests of statistical significance. Benchmarks need at least 30 homes. Each side shows up to three eligible findings; missing values never become negative findings. Specific combined food evidence and sustained care-target results are prioritised, then larger differences. Respect and caring are grouped when both qualify.
Food spending uses the My Aged Care sector median for Jan–Mar 2026; resident enjoyment comes from the 2025 survey. The combined finding reports two separate observations from different reporting periods; it does not establish that spending caused the survey result. Year-to-year survey samples may differ and respondent counts are unavailable. Care consistency uses the latest four submitted, quality-checked care-minute records and direct RN minutes without EN top-up.
A lower compliance rating is a comparison with other homes, not a claim of an active sanction. Higher expenditure alone is not treated as better care. Unadjusted clinical incident measures are not used to rank quality here.
My Aged Care home profile · Government Star Ratings extract
Benchmark populations
| Measure | Mean | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| Elderberry Index | 3.81 | 2365 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.35% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Meercroft Care provide?
Meercroft Care reported 311 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 87 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 52 came from registered nurses, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
In two of the last four quarters, Meercroft Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 208 to 311 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 220 of the 311 minutes (70.7%), followed by registered nurses (52 minutes, 16.7%) and enrolled nurses (39 minutes, 12.5%). In the same quarter, Meercroft Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Meercroft Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Meercroft Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 26.3 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (81% against 89.5%) and whether they get the care they need (89% against 94.5%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 37% answered “always”, 26% “most of the time”, 26% “some of the time” and 11% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 89% of residents surveyed at Meercroft Care answered “always” and 4% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Meercroft Care?
When residents surveyed at Meercroft Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 82% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share was also 82% in 2024. Another 19% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Meercroft Care in January to March 2026 was $19 per resident per day, 19% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.09 per resident per day, 68% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Meercroft Care, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
82% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Meercroft Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Meercroft Care spent $293.71 per resident per day on care and nursing, 11% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $455.50 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($45.33), accommodation and maintenance ($34.48), and cleaning and laundry ($27.67) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($135.96) and registered nurses ($67.32).
