Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mertome Aged Care is 3.3 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
86% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
43% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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 | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Mertome Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Mertome Aged Care for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 43% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 24.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Mertome Aged Care spent $25 per resident per day on food, 56% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $1.17 per resident per day, 318% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Mertome Aged Care, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 27% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
43% 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 Mertome Aged Care?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 100% of residents surveyed at Mertome Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 92.7% average across other homes by 7.3 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (86% against 80.3%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%. 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, 36% answered “always”, 43% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Mertome Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 71% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Mertome Aged Care provide?
Mertome Aged Care reported 231 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 230 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 179 of the 231 minutes (77.5%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 18.6%) and enrolled nurses (9 minutes, 3.9%). Mertome Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists and dietitians in the same quarter.
