Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya is 4.3 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
89% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $13 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 217 minutes against a 209-minute daily care target; RN time is 81 against 43.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
89% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
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 | 95.86% | 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 | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya?
When residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 18.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 85.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 89% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%.
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, 56% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 11% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 89% of residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 89% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya provide?
Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya reported 217 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 8 minutes above its target of 209 minutes. Registered nurses provided 81 of those minutes, 38 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 235 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 135 of the 217 minutes (62.2%), followed by registered nurses (81 minutes, 37.3%) and enrolled nurses (1 minute, 0.5%). In the same quarter, Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 89% of residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 18.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 84% in 2024. Another 11% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya 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”.
89% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya spend on resident care?
Total spending at Southern Cross Care Miles - Carinya in the 2024–25 financial year was $477.21 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 57.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $273.57 was 3% above the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included administration ($89.23), accommodation and maintenance ($40.06), and cleaning and laundry ($26.50) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to registered nurses ($123.12) and personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($114.14).
