Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Northcote Mews is 3.08 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
64% positive in 2026, compared with 53% in 2025: 11 percentage points higher.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 64% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 217 vs 227 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 46 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.37% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.43% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Northcote Mews provide?
In January to March 2026, Northcote Mews reported 217 minutes of care per resident per day, 10 minutes below its target of 227 minutes. Registered nurses provided 41 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did Northcote Mews meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 213 to 220 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 217 minutes, personal care workers provided 155 (71.4%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 18.9%) and enrolled nurses (21 minutes, 9.7%). In the same quarter, Northcote Mews also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Northcote Mews?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 71% of residents surveyed at Northcote Mews answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 17.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (79% against 95.4%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (72% against 84.2%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.1%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 57% answered “always”, 14% “most of the time” and 29% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 64% of residents surveyed at Northcote Mews answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Northcote Mews?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 64% of residents surveyed at Northcote Mews said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 3.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 53% in 2025. Another 29% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Food spending at Northcote Mews 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 $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Northcote Mews 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”.
64% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
