Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care is 4.56 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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 | 3.06 | 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 | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 81.8% average across other homes by 18.2 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%).
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care 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 Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 85% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 92% answered “always”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care was 92% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
What is the food like at Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 70.3% average across other homes. The share fell from 76% in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.08 per resident per day, 71% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care 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”.
69% 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 Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care provide?
Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care reported 200 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 198 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 41.
In three of the last four quarters, Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 193 to 204 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 158 minutes, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes). In the same quarter, Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Southern Cross Care Orana Residential Aged Care spent $428.20 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $261.04 was 1% 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 administration ($67.87), accommodation and maintenance ($36.36), and cleaning and laundry ($29.60) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($141.93) and registered nurses ($62.28).
