Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for St Andrew's Village Ballina is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
67% positive in 2026, compared with 45% in 2025: 22 percentage points higher.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 212 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
91% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.4% 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How does St Andrew's Village Ballina spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, St Andrew's Village Ballina spent $339.78 per resident per day on care and nursing, 28% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $511.01 per resident per day. 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 ($51.58), accommodation and maintenance ($43.97), and cleaning and laundry ($35.43) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($157.37) and registered nurses ($71.19).
How much care and nursing does St Andrew's Village Ballina provide?
In January to March 2026, St Andrew's Village Ballina reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day, 6 minutes above its target of 212 minutes. Registered nurses provided 41 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
St Andrew's Village Ballina met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 218 to 225 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 146 minutes, followed by registered nurses (41 minutes) and enrolled nurses (30 minutes). In the same quarter, St Andrew's Village Ballina also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at St Andrew's Village Ballina?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 67% of residents surveyed at St Andrew's Village Ballina said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 22 percentage points higher than the 45% recorded in 2025. Another 25% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at St Andrew's Village Ballina in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, St Andrew's Village Ballina reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
St Andrew's Village Ballina 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”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about St Andrew's Village Ballina?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 96% of residents surveyed at St Andrew's Village Ballina answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, 6.9 percentage points above the average of 89.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (92% against 87.1%) and whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 95.4%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect: 91% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 95.4%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff are expected to treat residents. Of residents asked whether staff treat them with respect, 58% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 8% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at St Andrew's Village Ballina were asked whether they feel safe, 79% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 71% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
