Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Salisbury House Nursing Home is 4.12 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 209 minutes against a 208-minute daily care target; RN time is 44 against 42.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
64% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Kind and caring staff is below the survey average
71% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.0% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
58% positive in 2025, compared with 69% in 2024: 11 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: 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 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 | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.98% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.21% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Salisbury House Nursing Home?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 64% of residents surveyed at Salisbury House Nursing Home answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, below the 93.2% average across other homes by 29.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (71% against 96.0%) and whether staff explain things to them (64% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Salisbury House Nursing Home, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 64% answered “always”, 21% “some of the time” and 14% “never”; none answered “most of the time”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 79% of residents surveyed at Salisbury House Nursing Home answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 64% answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Salisbury House Nursing Home?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 58% of residents surveyed at Salisbury House Nursing Home said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 12.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 69% in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
Food spending at Salisbury House Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.16 per resident per day, 43% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Salisbury House Nursing Home, 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”.
58% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Salisbury House Nursing Home provide?
Salisbury House Nursing Home reported 209 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 208 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Salisbury House Nursing Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 209 to 211 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 209 minutes, personal care workers provided 157 (75.1%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 21.1%) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes, 3.8%). Salisbury House Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Salisbury House Nursing Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Salisbury House Nursing Home spent $377.11 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 66.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $250.72 was 5% 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 ($45.08), administration ($26.33), and cleaning and laundry ($16.07) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.52) and registered nurses ($59.89).
