Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mercy Place Fernhill is 3.41 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
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 211 vs 216 minutes; registered nurses: 44 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
55% positive in 2025, compared with 67% in 2024: 12 percentage points lower.
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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 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 Mercy Place Fernhill provide?
Mercy Place Fernhill reported 211 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 5 minutes below its target of 216 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Mercy Place Fernhill met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 198 to 213.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 157 of the 211 minutes (74.4%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.9%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.7%). In the same quarter, Mercy Place Fernhill also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Mercy Place Fernhill?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 55% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Fernhill said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 15.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 67% in 2024. Another 30% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Mercy Place Fernhill spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.28 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Mercy Place Fernhill 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”.
55% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Mercy Place Fernhill spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Mercy Place Fernhill spent $220.73 per resident per day on care and nursing, 17% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $370.83 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($51.10), accommodation and maintenance ($37.27), and cleaning and laundry ($18.93) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($126.22) and registered nurses ($61.59).
What do residents say about Mercy Place Fernhill?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 75% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Fernhill answered “always” or “most of the time”, 13.6 percentage points below the average of 88.6% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (75% against 81.8%) and whether staff know what they are doing (85% against 89.5%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 95% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. In all, answers on 3 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 how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 60% answered “always”, 15% “most of the time” and 25% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Mercy Place Fernhill were asked whether they feel safe, 95% answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
