Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Naroo Frail Aged Hostel is 3.86 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.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 189 vs 201 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 41 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
58% positive in 2025, compared with 100% in 2024: 42 percentage points lower.
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 | 3.06 | 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 | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 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 Naroo Frail Aged Hostel provide?
Naroo Frail Aged Hostel reported 189 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 12 minutes below its target of 201 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 41.
In none of the last four quarters did Naroo Frail Aged Hostel meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 189 to 272 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 189 minutes, personal care workers provided 145 (76.7%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 21.2%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 2.1%). In the same quarter, Naroo Frail Aged Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Naroo Frail Aged Hostel spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Naroo Frail Aged Hostel in the 2024–25 financial year was $213.54 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $398.78 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 accommodation and maintenance ($84.21), cleaning and laundry ($28.74) and administration ($15.28) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($129.73) and registered nurses ($41.19).
What is the food like at Naroo Frail Aged Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Naroo Frail Aged Hostel for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 58% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 12.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2024. Another 33% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Naroo Frail Aged Hostel in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% 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?
Naroo Frail Aged Hostel 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”.
58% 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 Naroo Frail Aged Hostel?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 92% of residents surveyed at Naroo Frail Aged Hostel answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.8 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 they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.9%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 83% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.5%. Altogether, 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 the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 75% answered “always”, 8% “most of the time” and 17% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 83% of residents surveyed at Naroo Frail Aged Hostel answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
