Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Pathways Sailors Bay is 3.93 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 consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
67% positive in 2026, compared with 44% in 2025: 23 percentage points higher.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 225 vs 213 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
76% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
84% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% 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 | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Pathways Sailors Bay provide?
In January to March 2026, Pathways Sailors Bay reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day, 12 minutes above its target of 213 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In none of the last four quarters did Pathways Sailors Bay meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 213 to 225.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 181 of the 225 minutes (80.4%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 17.8%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.8%). Pathways Sailors Bay also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Pathways Sailors Bay?
When residents surveyed at Pathways Sailors Bay for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 23 percentage points higher than the 44% recorded in 2025. Another 25% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Pathways Sailors Bay spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.44 per resident per day, 57% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Pathways Sailors Bay, 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”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Pathways Sailors Bay?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 88% of residents surveyed at Pathways Sailors Bay answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 7.8 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.4%) and whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 95.4%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 76% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%. Altogether, answers on 3 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 how staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 63% answered “always”, 13% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 92% of residents surveyed at Pathways Sailors Bay answered “always” and 4% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 54% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
How does Pathways Sailors Bay spend on resident care?
Total spending at Pathways Sailors Bay in the 2024–25 financial year was $536.40 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 45.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $241.70 was 9% 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 accommodation and maintenance ($138.41), administration ($56.67), and cleaning and laundry ($33.36) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($139.77) and registered nurses ($50.93).
