Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Nazareth House Ballarat 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
89% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $14 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 207 vs 204 minutes; registered nurses: 35 vs 42 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.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
63% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
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 | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 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 |
What do residents say about Nazareth House Ballarat?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 96% of residents surveyed at Nazareth House Ballarat answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 7.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether the home is well run (96% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 63% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 11% answered “always”, 52% “most of the time”, 33% “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 74% of residents surveyed at Nazareth House Ballarat answered “always” and 26% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 78% answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Nazareth House Ballarat?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 89% of residents surveyed at Nazareth House Ballarat said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 18.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 80% in 2024. Another 11% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Nazareth House Ballarat in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $1.69 per resident per day, 504% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Nazareth House Ballarat reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. Of all meals, 96% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
89% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Nazareth House Ballarat spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Nazareth House Ballarat in the 2024–25 financial year was $235.93 per resident per day, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $381.12 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 ($41.56), accommodation and maintenance ($29.29), and cleaning and laundry ($25.91) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($169.28) and registered nurses ($34.81).
How much care and nursing does Nazareth House Ballarat provide?
Nazareth House Ballarat reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 3 minutes above its target of 204 minutes. Registered nurses provided 35 of those minutes, 7 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 42.
Nazareth House Ballarat met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 207 to 239.
Who provides that care?
Of the 207 minutes, personal care workers provided 169 (81.6%), followed by registered nurses (35 minutes, 16.9%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.4%). Nazareth House Ballarat also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
