Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care is 3.6 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$11 a day vs a $16 sector median; 53% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
67% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
53% positive in 2025, compared with 78% in 2024: 25 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.88% | 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 | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 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 Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff treat them with respect, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 95.9% average across other homes by 28.9 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (67% against 85.2%) and whether the home is well run (73% against 89.3%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff are expected to treat residents. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect, 40% answered “always”, 27% “most of the time” and 33% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 73% of residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 40% answered “always” and 40% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 53% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 78% in 2024. Another 40% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care spent $11 per resident per day on food, 31% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.45 per resident per day, 61% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Southern Cross Care Young 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”.
53% 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 Young Residential Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care reported 211 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 210 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 43.
Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 210 to 222.
Who provides that care?
Of the 211 minutes, personal care workers provided 168 (79.6%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 20.4%). In the same quarter, Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Southern Cross Care Young Residential Aged Care spent $445.68 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 57.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $255.87 was 3% below 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?
Other categories included administration ($82.76), accommodation and maintenance ($40.66), and cleaning and laundry ($22.88) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($164.67) and registered nurses ($46.89).
