Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Merrimac Park Private Care is 3.33 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.
Staff communication is a relative strength
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
75% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 229 vs 221 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Compliance rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
75% positive in 2025, compared with 86% in 2024: 11 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 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 | 93.20% | 1354 |
Where is Merrimac Park Private Care?
Merrimac Park Private Care is at 50-52 Macadie Way, Merrimac. The closest named places on OpenStreetMap are Faerie Park (350 m), Gooding Dr at Jondique Avenue (410 m) and Logos Chinese Christian Church (1.2 km). Every distance here is a straight line from the home’s mapped location, not a road route.
The nearest hospital is Emergency, 2.6 km away. The closest GP or medical centre is QScan, at 3.8 km. The nearest pharmacy, Robina Parkway Chempro Chemist, is 3.2 km from the home. These distances matter most for residents who keep appointments outside the home, so it is worth asking how transport to them is arranged.
The nearest bus stop, Gooding Dr at Jondique Avenue, is 410 m from the home. The closest train station is Robina, 2.7 km away. For everyday errands, Coles supermarket is 1.8 km away and Q Super Centre is 3.5 km. For visitors and outings, Faerie Park is 350 m away, Robina Library is 3.4 km and Logos Chinese Christian Church is 1.2 km.
Which facilities are closest?
- ParkFaerie Park350 m
- Bus stopGooding Dr at Jondique Avenue410 m
- Place of worshipLogos Chinese Christian Church1.2 km
- SupermarketColes1.8 km
- HospitalEmergency2.6 km
The four closest, on the map
Pins 1 to 4 are the four closest facilities, in the same order as the list.
Sources and Explanation
Each place is the nearest named facility of its kind on OpenStreetMap, measured in a straight line from the home’s mapped location. These are not walking or driving times, and the map may miss newer or unnamed places; check the route before relying on a distance.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, read 25 September 2026.
How much care and nursing does Merrimac Park Private Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Merrimac Park Private Care reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day, 8 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Of those minutes, 42 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Merrimac Park Private Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 228 to 235 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 162 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (42 minutes) and enrolled nurses (26 minutes). In the same quarter, Merrimac Park Private Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Merrimac Park Private Care spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Merrimac Park Private Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $306.34 per resident per day, 16% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $468.80 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?
Other categories included administration ($54.67), accommodation and maintenance ($30.54), and cleaning and laundry ($22.51) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($153.18) and registered nurses ($67.49).
What do residents say about Merrimac Park Private Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 94% of residents surveyed at Merrimac Park Private Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 12.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (94% against 89.5%) and whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 96.0%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 81% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. 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 who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 56% answered “always”, 25% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 88% of residents surveyed at Merrimac Park Private Care answered “always” and 6% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Merrimac Park Private Care?
When residents surveyed at Merrimac Park Private Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 4.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 86% in 2024. Another 25% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Merrimac Park Private Care in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.38 per resident per day, 36% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Merrimac Park Private Care, 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”.
75% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
