Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mercy Place Shepparton is 3.38 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 216 vs 217 minutes; registered nurses: 44 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% across other homes.
Support for independence is below the survey average
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% 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: 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.18% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.28% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Mercy Place Shepparton?
When residents surveyed at Mercy Place Shepparton for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 80.3% average across other homes by 30.3 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (61% against 87.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (78% against 89.1%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 95.4%. In all, 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 how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 6% answered “always”, 44% “most of the time”, 39% “some of the time” and 11% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 72% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Shepparton answered “always” and 22% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 56% answered “always” and 33% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Mercy Place Shepparton?
When residents surveyed at Mercy Place Shepparton for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 66% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10 percentage points lower than the 76% recorded in 2025. Another 28% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Food spending at Mercy Place Shepparton in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.02 per resident per day, 93% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Mercy Place Shepparton 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”.
66% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Mercy Place Shepparton spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Mercy Place Shepparton spent $233.67 per resident per day on care and nursing, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $364.22 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 ($51.90), cleaning and laundry ($22.77), and accommodation and maintenance ($19.62) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($127.68) and registered nurses ($63.36).
How much care and nursing does Mercy Place Shepparton provide?
Mercy Place Shepparton reported 216 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute below its target of 217 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Mercy Place Shepparton met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 206 to 216 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 149 of the 216 minutes (69.0%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.4%) and enrolled nurses (23 minutes, 10.6%). In the same quarter, Mercy Place Shepparton also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
