Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Nellie Melba Retirement Village is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 217 minutes against a 213-minute daily care target; RN time is 45 against 43.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
86% positive in 2025, compared with 55% in 2024: 31 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
86% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
75% 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Nellie Melba Retirement Village?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% of residents surveyed at Nellie Melba Retirement Village answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 14.8 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 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: 75% 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. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 33% answered “always”, 42% “most of the time” and 25% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 89% of residents surveyed at Nellie Melba Retirement Village answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 83% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Nellie Melba Retirement Village?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 86% of residents surveyed at Nellie Melba Retirement Village said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 15.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 55% in 2024. Another 14% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Nellie Melba Retirement Village spent $18 per resident per day on food, 13% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.40 per resident per day, 43% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Nellie Melba Retirement Village, 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”.
86% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Nellie Melba Retirement Village provide?
In January to March 2026, Nellie Melba Retirement Village reported 217 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes above its target of 213 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Nellie Melba Retirement Village met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 219 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 217 minutes, personal care workers provided 172 (79.3%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.7%). Nellie Melba Retirement Village also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
