Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Rutherford Park Care Community is 3.71 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
78% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $13 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 200 vs 214 minutes; registered nurses: 38 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.
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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Rutherford Park Care Community provide?
In January to March 2026, Rutherford Park Care Community reported 200 minutes of care per resident per day, 14 minutes below its target of 214 minutes. Registered nurses provided 38 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
Rutherford Park Care Community met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 199 to 214 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 155 of the 200 minutes (77.5%), followed by registered nurses (38 minutes, 19.0%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.5%). In the same quarter, Rutherford Park Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Rutherford Park Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 78% of residents surveyed at Rutherford Park Care Community said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 7.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 80% in 2024. Another 22% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Rutherford Park 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 $0.30 per resident per day, 7% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Rutherford Park Care Community 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”.
78% 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 Rutherford Park Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Rutherford Park Care Community for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (97% against 88.6%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (93% against 85.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Rutherford Park Care Community were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Rutherford Park Care Community were asked whether they feel safe, 93% answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 67% answered “always” and 33% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Rutherford Park Care Community was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How does Rutherford Park Care Community spend on resident care?
Total spending at Rutherford Park Care Community in the 2024–25 financial year was $432.74 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $272.42 was 3% above 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($61.17), cleaning and laundry ($26.10) and administration ($25.13) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($155.01) and registered nurses ($65.12).
