Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc is 4.37 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
100% enjoy meals vs 67.3% 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 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: 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.31% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 84.2%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 88.1%).
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc 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?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 64% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 92% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 93% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
What is the food like at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 32.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 72% in 2025.
In January to March 2026, St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $2.97 per resident per day, 961% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc reports that breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
100% 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 St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc provide?
St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc reported 237 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 17 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 45.
St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 224 to 237 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 237 minutes, personal care workers provided 178 (75.1%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 19.4%) and enrolled nurses (13 minutes, 5.5%). In the same quarter, St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc spend on resident care?
Total spending at St Catherine's Hostel Wangaratta Inc in the 2024–25 financial year was $437.82 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $286.98 was 8% above 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($44.63), administration ($34.31), and cleaning and laundry ($22.46) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($162.11) and registered nurses ($73.44).
