Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for MercyCare Maddington is 3.45 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
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 46% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
63% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
46% positive in 2026, compared with 56% in 2025: 10 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: 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 | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about MercyCare Maddington?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 63% of residents surveyed at MercyCare Maddington answered “always” or “most of the time”, 25.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (64% against 80.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (73% against 89.1%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 36% answered “always”, 27% “most of the time”, 32% “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at MercyCare Maddington were asked whether they get the care they need, 68% answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at MercyCare Maddington?
When residents surveyed at MercyCare Maddington for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 46% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 21.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 56% in 2025. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, MercyCare Maddington spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, MercyCare Maddington reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
MercyCare Maddington 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”.
46% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does MercyCare Maddington spend on resident care?
Total spending at MercyCare Maddington in the 2024–25 financial year was $391.23 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $245.26 was 7% below the sector median of $264.85. 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 ($47.16), accommodation and maintenance ($41.64), and cleaning and laundry ($31.58) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($146.37) and registered nurses ($62.25).
How much care and nursing does MercyCare Maddington provide?
In January to March 2026, MercyCare Maddington reported 214 minutes of care per resident per day, 3 minutes above its target of 211 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
MercyCare Maddington met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 214 to 237 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 167 of the 214 minutes (78.0%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.6%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.4%). In the same quarter, MercyCare Maddington also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
