Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote is 4.22 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 230 minutes against a 217-minute daily care target; RN time is 49 against 44.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
64% positive in 2025, compared with 90% in 2024: 26 percentage points lower.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
64% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% 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: 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 | 95.86% | 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 | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote provide?
In January to March 2026, St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote reported 230 minutes of care per resident per day, 13 minutes above its target of 217 minutes. Registered nurses provided 49 of those minutes, 5 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In each of the last four quarters, St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 240.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 180 of the 230 minutes (78.3%), followed by registered nurses (49 minutes, 21.3%) and enrolled nurses (1 minute, 0.4%). St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote?
When residents surveyed at St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 64% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 90% in 2024. Another 34% answered “some of the time” and 2% “never”.
In January to March 2026, St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote 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”.
64% 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 Vincent's Care Services Heathcote?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 95% of residents surveyed at St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 9.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether the home is well run (95% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 6 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote were asked whether they feel safe, 66% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 61% answered “always” and 37% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote was 91% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, St Vincent's Care Services Heathcote spent $421.04 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $266.58 was 1% above 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 accommodation and maintenance ($51.73), administration ($42.20), and cleaning and laundry ($18.84) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($176.52) and registered nurses ($50.06).
