Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for PresCare - Groundwater Lodge is 3.56 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.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
93% positive in 2026, compared with 77% in 2025: 16 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 207 vs 213 minutes; registered nurses: 52 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.31% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What is the food like at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge?
When residents surveyed at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 25.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 77% in 2025. Another 8% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.34 per resident per day, 21% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
PresCare - Groundwater Lodge 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”.
93% 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 PresCare - Groundwater Lodge?
When residents surveyed at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 15.8 percentage points above the average of 84.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (92% against 80.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At PresCare - Groundwater Lodge, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 9 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 85% of residents surveyed at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 46% answered “always” and 54% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 92% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 92% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How much care and nursing does PresCare - Groundwater Lodge provide?
PresCare - Groundwater Lodge reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 6 minutes below its target of 213 minutes. Registered nurses provided 52 of those minutes, 9 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In one of the last four quarters, PresCare - Groundwater Lodge met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 207 to 220 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 153 of the 207 minutes (73.9%), followed by registered nurses (52 minutes, 25.1%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 1.0%). In the same quarter, PresCare - Groundwater Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does PresCare - Groundwater Lodge spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at PresCare - Groundwater Lodge in the 2024–25 financial year was $233.43 per resident per day, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $395.72 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 ($57.63), accommodation and maintenance ($44.12), and cleaning and laundry ($26.97) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($131.85) and registered nurses ($68.70).
