Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Murrayvale Aged Care is 3.71 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 consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 59% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 191 vs 202 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 42 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
59% positive in 2025, compared with 69% in 2024: 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: 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Murrayvale Aged Care provide?
Murrayvale Aged Care reported 191 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 11 minutes below its target of 202 minutes. Of those minutes, 41 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 42.
In none of the last four quarters did Murrayvale Aged Care meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 179 to 195 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 191 minutes, personal care workers provided 126 (66.0%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 21.5%) and enrolled nurses (24 minutes, 12.6%). Murrayvale Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Murrayvale Aged Care spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Murrayvale Aged Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $204.07 per resident per day, 23% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $341.14 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($59.33), cleaning and laundry ($23.53), and accommodation and maintenance ($11.60) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($97.09) and registered nurses ($51.91).
What do residents say about Murrayvale Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Murrayvale Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 17% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time” and 33% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 58% of residents surveyed at Murrayvale Aged Care answered “always” and 42% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 100% answered “always”.
What is the food like at Murrayvale Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 59% of residents surveyed at Murrayvale Aged Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 11.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 69% in 2024. Another 42% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Murrayvale Aged Care in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.20 per resident per day, 29% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Murrayvale Aged 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”.
59% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
