Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point is 3.26 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
Staff communication is a relative strength
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 235 vs 196 minutes; registered nurses: 34 vs 41 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
65% positive in 2026, compared with 75% in 2025: 10 percentage points lower.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point provide?
Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point reported 235 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 39 minutes above its target of 196 minutes. Registered nurses provided 34 of those minutes, 7 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 41.
In none of the last four quarters did Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 189 to 235 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 235 minutes, personal care workers provided 185 (78.7%), followed by registered nurses (34 minutes, 14.5%) and enrolled nurses (16 minutes, 6.8%). In the same quarter, Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point?
When residents surveyed at Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 95% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 87.1%) and whether staff know what they are doing (95% against 89.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%. Altogether, 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?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 55% answered “always”, 20% “most of the time” and 25% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 90% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 65% of residents surveyed at Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 10 percentage points lower than the 75% recorded in 2025. Another 30% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Food spending at Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.30 per resident per day, 7% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Mercy Place Yarrawonga Woods Point, 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”.
65% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
