Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens is 3.86 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
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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
92% 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: 214 vs 224 minutes; registered nurses: 49 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 93% in 2024: 24 percentage points lower.
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 | 3.06 | 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 | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens provide?
In January to March 2026, Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens reported 214 minutes of care per resident per day, 10 minutes below its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 49 came from registered nurses, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 212 to 219 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 214 minutes, personal care workers provided 163 (76.2%), followed by registered nurses (49 minutes, 22.9%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 0.9%). Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 24 percentage points lower than the 93% recorded in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.13 per resident per day, 54% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens, 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 does Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens in the 2024–25 financial year was $232.05 per resident per day, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $427.25 per resident per day. 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 ($76.78), accommodation and maintenance ($45.39), and cleaning and laundry ($29.76) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($142.35) and registered nurses ($60.72).
What do residents say about Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens?
When residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 85.2%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.0%. Altogether, answers on 3 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff get to know each resident. Of residents asked whether staff are kind and caring, 62% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 15% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 85% of residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Stretton Gardens answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 85% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”.
