Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Preston Hilltop Care Community is 3.08 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staff communication is a relative strength
87% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 53% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 210 vs 223 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 45 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.
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 | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Preston Hilltop Care Community provide?
In January to March 2026, Preston Hilltop Care Community reported 210 minutes of care per resident per day, 13 minutes below its target of 223 minutes. Of those minutes, 40 came from registered nurses, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Preston Hilltop Care Community meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 210 to 221 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 149 minutes, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (20 minutes). In the same quarter, Preston Hilltop Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Preston Hilltop Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 80% of residents surveyed at Preston Hilltop Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they feel safe, 16.5 percentage points below the average of 96.5% across other homes. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (73% against 89.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (80% against 89.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 87% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. When residents were asked whether they feel safe, 47% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 20% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Preston Hilltop Care Community were asked whether they get the care they need, 67% answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Preston Hilltop Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Preston Hilltop Care Community for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 53% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. Another 47% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Preston Hilltop Care Community spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.39 per resident per day, 39% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Preston Hilltop Care Community, 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”.
53% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
