Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Northern Gardens Aged Care is 3.38 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
61% positive in 2025, compared with 38% in 2024: 23 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 217 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Getting needed care is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% 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 | 95.88% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.35% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.50% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.22% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Northern Gardens Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Northern Gardens Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 94.5% average across other homes by 32.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (62% against 93.2%) and whether staff explain things to them (54% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Northern Gardens Aged Care, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need, 31% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Northern Gardens Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 46% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Northern Gardens Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Northern Gardens Aged Care reported 217 minutes of care per resident per day, 9 minutes below its target of 226 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Northern Gardens Aged Care meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 231 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 164 of the 217 minutes (75.6%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 19.8%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.6%). In the same quarter, Northern Gardens Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists and podiatrists.
What is the food like at Northern Gardens Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Northern Gardens Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 61% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 9.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 38% in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Northern Gardens Aged Care in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Northern Gardens Aged Care reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Northern Gardens Aged Care 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”.
61% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Northern Gardens Aged Care spend on resident care?
Total spending at Northern Gardens Aged Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $400.83 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $250.80 was 5% below the sector median of $264.85. 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 ($51.49), accommodation and maintenance ($47.25), and cleaning and laundry ($21.81) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($153.55) and registered nurses ($55.50).
