Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Oakfield Lodge Residential Care is 3.45 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 report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 201 vs 201 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 42 minutes per resident per day.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
43% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
43% positive in 2025, compared with 53% in 2024: 10 percentage points lower.
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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 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 Oakfield Lodge Residential Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, above the 88.6% average across other homes by 11.4 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 85.2%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 71% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. 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 who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 71% answered “most of the time” and 29% “some of the time”; none answered “always” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 86% of residents surveyed at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 43% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 43% of residents surveyed at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 27.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 53% in 2024. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Food spending at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care in January to March 2026 was $19 per resident per day, 19% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.69 per resident per day, 146% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Oakfield Lodge Residential 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”.
43% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Oakfield Lodge Residential Care spend on resident care?
Total spending at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $404.32 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $244.28 was 8% 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 ($50.38), accommodation and maintenance ($35.29), and cleaning and laundry ($24.91) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($117.53) and registered nurses ($46.38).
How much care and nursing does Oakfield Lodge Residential Care provide?
Oakfield Lodge Residential Care reported 201 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, matching its target of 201 minutes. Of those minutes, 39 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 42.
Oakfield Lodge Residential Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 198 to 204 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 127 of the 201 minutes (63.2%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 19.4%) and enrolled nurses (35 minutes, 17.4%). In the same quarter, Oakfield Lodge Residential Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
