Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Paling Court Residential Aged Care 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 216 minutes against a 211-minute daily care target; RN time is 44 against 43.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
85% positive in 2026, compared with 73% in 2025: 12 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
65% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% 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: 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Paling Court Residential Aged Care?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Paling Court Residential Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, above the 84.2% average across other homes by 15.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 65% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.3%.
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, 19% answered “always”, 46% “most of the time” and 35% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Paling Court Residential Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 88% answered “always” and 12% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 85% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Paling Court Residential Aged Care?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 85% of residents surveyed at Paling Court Residential Aged Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 17.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 73% in 2025. Another 12% answered “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Food spending at Paling Court Residential Aged Care in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.20 per resident per day, 29% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Paling Court Residential 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”.
85% 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 Paling Court Residential Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Paling Court Residential Aged Care reported 216 minutes of care per resident per day, 5 minutes above its target of 211 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Paling Court Residential Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 216 to 234 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 172 of the 216 minutes (79.6%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.4%). In the same quarter, Paling Court Residential Aged Care also reported spending on podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Paling Court Residential Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Paling Court Residential Aged Care spent $216.35 per resident per day on care and nursing, 18% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $371.27 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($53.48), accommodation and maintenance ($35.79), and cleaning and laundry ($27.11) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($146.53) and registered nurses ($50.84).
