Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House is 4.04 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 432 minutes against a 245-minute daily care target; RN time is 159 against 48.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
34% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
34% positive in 2026, compared with 44% in 2025: 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: 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 | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.37% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.43% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.75% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House provide?
In January to March 2026, Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House reported 432 minutes of care per resident per day, 187 minutes above its target of 245 minutes. Registered nurses provided 159 of those minutes, 111 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 48.
Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 314 to 432 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 432 minutes, personal care workers provided 213 (49.3%), followed by registered nurses (159 minutes, 36.8%) and enrolled nurses (60 minutes, 13.9%). In the same quarter, Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House?
When residents surveyed at Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 19.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 84.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 92.7%. Altogether, answers on 4 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?
On a visit, you can ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 33% answered “always”, 17% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 33% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 83% of residents surveyed at Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 83% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 34% of residents surveyed at Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 33.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 44% in 2025. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 17% “never”.
Food spending at Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $1.29 per resident per day, 361% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House, 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”.
34% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Port Pirie Regional Health Service - Hammill House in the 2024–25 financial year was $416.45 per resident per day, 57% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $762.79 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 ($169.03), cleaning and laundry ($65.96), and accommodation and maintenance ($4.44) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to registered nurses ($195.75) and personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($123.85).
