Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mercy Place Ave Maria is 2.78 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
72% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes; spending is $14 vs a $16 sector median.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 207 vs 210 minutes; registered nurses: 44 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
45% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% across other homes.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.37% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.29% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.72% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Mercy Place Ave Maria?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 45% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Ave Maria answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 35.3 percentage points below the average of 80.3% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (73% against 89.1%) and whether the home is well run (72% against 88.1%).
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Mercy Place Ave Maria were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 17% answered “always”, 28% “most of the time”, 50% “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 56% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Ave Maria answered “always” and 28% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 44% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Mercy Place Ave Maria provide?
In January to March 2026, Mercy Place Ave Maria reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day, 3 minutes below its target of 210 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Mercy Place Ave Maria met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 206 to 214 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 138 minutes, followed by registered nurses (44 minutes) and enrolled nurses (26 minutes). In the same quarter, Mercy Place Ave Maria also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Mercy Place Ave Maria?
When residents surveyed at Mercy Place Ave Maria for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 72% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 4.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share was also 72% in 2025. Another 17% answered “some of the time” and 11% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Mercy Place Ave Maria spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.05 per resident per day, 82% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Mercy Place Ave Maria reports that 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”.
72% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Mercy Place Ave Maria spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Mercy Place Ave Maria spent $381.85 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.8% of it. Care and nursing spending of $247.38 was 7% below the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($51.88), cleaning and laundry ($23.40), and accommodation and maintenance ($22.10) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($132.17) and registered nurses ($61.74).
