Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Singleton Community Aged Care is 2.86 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 44% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 219 vs 220 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 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 | 3.19 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 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 | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Singleton Community Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Singleton Community Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 62% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 85.2% average across other homes by 23.2 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (73% against 89.5%) and whether the home is well run (76% against 89.3%).
At Singleton Community Aged Care, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 7 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 31% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time”, 24% “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 72% of residents surveyed at Singleton Community Aged Care answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 48% answered “always” and 34% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Singleton Community Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Singleton Community Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 44% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 26.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. Another 45% answered “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Singleton Community Aged Care spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.32 per resident per day, 14% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Singleton Community Aged Care, 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”.
44% 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 Singleton Community Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Singleton Community Aged Care reported 219 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute below its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 39 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Singleton Community Aged Care meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 226 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 152 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (39 minutes) and enrolled nurses (29 minutes). Singleton Community Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
