Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mercy Place Templestowe is 4.45 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 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.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 83% in 2024: 14 percentage points lower.
Support for independence is below the survey average
76% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% 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 | 3.06 | 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 | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Mercy Place Templestowe?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Templestowe said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 14 percentage points lower than the 83% recorded in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Mercy Place Templestowe spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.31 per resident per day, 11% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Mercy Place Templestowe, 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”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Mercy Place Templestowe?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 93% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Templestowe answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 7.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 76% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below 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. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 38% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time”, 8% “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Mercy Place Templestowe were asked whether they feel safe, 100% answered “always”.
How does Mercy Place Templestowe spend on resident care?
Total spending at Mercy Place Templestowe in the 2024–25 financial year was $382.71 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $243.35 was 8% 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 ($50.04), cleaning and laundry ($26.62), and accommodation and maintenance ($22.70) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($109.76) and registered nurses ($71.67).
How much care and nursing does Mercy Place Templestowe provide?
Mercy Place Templestowe reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 3 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Of those minutes, 47 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Mercy Place Templestowe met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 210 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 149 minutes, followed by registered nurses (47 minutes) and enrolled nurses (28 minutes). Mercy Place Templestowe also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
