Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for SummitCare Smithfield is 3.9 out of 5, against 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
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 50% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 236 vs 232 minutes; registered nurses: 44 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
50% positive in 2025, compared with 64% in 2024: 14 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at SummitCare Smithfield?
When residents surveyed at SummitCare Smithfield for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 64% in 2024. Another 43% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, SummitCare Smithfield spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
SummitCare Smithfield 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”.
50% 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 SummitCare Smithfield?
When residents surveyed at SummitCare Smithfield for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. Altogether, answers on 2 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 who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 36% answered “always”, 43% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 71% of residents surveyed at SummitCare Smithfield answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 57% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does SummitCare Smithfield provide?
SummitCare Smithfield reported 236 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 232 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did SummitCare Smithfield meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 221 to 242.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 188 of the 236 minutes (79.7%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 18.6%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.7%). SummitCare Smithfield also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does SummitCare Smithfield spend on resident care?
Total spending at SummitCare Smithfield in the 2024–25 financial year was $430.95 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $276.90 was 5% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($44.31), cleaning and laundry ($31.80), and accommodation and maintenance ($31.07) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($170.99) and registered nurses ($61.94).
