Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mt St Vincent is 3.71 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
79% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $12 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
79% positive in 2025, compared with 50% in 2024: 29 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 233 vs 219 minutes; registered nurses: 33 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
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: 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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Mt St Vincent provide?
In January to March 2026, Mt St Vincent reported 233 minutes of care per resident per day, 14 minutes above its target of 219 minutes. Of those minutes, 33 came from registered nurses, 11 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Mt St Vincent met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 198 to 233 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 233 minutes, personal care workers provided 162 (69.5%), followed by enrolled nurses (38 minutes, 16.3%) and registered nurses (33 minutes, 14.2%). Mt St Vincent also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Mt St Vincent spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Mt St Vincent in the 2024–25 financial year was $219.75 per resident per day, 17% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $347.17 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($31.95), cleaning and laundry ($29.10), and accommodation and maintenance ($25.13) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($122.37) and registered nurses ($47.90).
What do residents say about Mt St Vincent?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Mt St Vincent answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 81.8% average across other homes by 18.2 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (93% against 85.2%).
At Mt St Vincent, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Mt St Vincent answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 93% answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Mt St Vincent, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Mt St Vincent?
When residents surveyed at Mt St Vincent for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 8.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 50% in 2024. Another 21% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Mt St Vincent in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.72 per resident per day, 157% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Mt St Vincent, 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”.
79% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
