Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Sunhaven Hostel is 3.89 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
100% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $11 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 202 vs 202 minutes; registered nurses: 34 vs 42 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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: 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.24% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Sunhaven Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Sunhaven Hostel for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 18.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 85.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Sunhaven Hostel, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Sunhaven Hostel answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 100% answered “always”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Sunhaven Hostel was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Sunhaven Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Sunhaven Hostel for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 29.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 92% in 2024.
In January to March 2026, Sunhaven Hostel spent $11 per resident per day on food, 31% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Sunhaven Hostel reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Sunhaven Hostel, 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”.
100% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Sunhaven Hostel spend on resident care?
Total spending at Sunhaven Hostel in the 2024–25 financial year was $433.25 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 66.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $288.18 was 9% 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 ($36.15), administration ($35.86), and cleaning and laundry ($27.85) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($161.17) and other care consumables ($82.75).
How much care and nursing does Sunhaven Hostel provide?
In January to March 2026, Sunhaven Hostel reported 202 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 202 minutes. Registered nurses provided 34 of those minutes, 8 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 42.
In one of the last four quarters, Sunhaven Hostel met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 202 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 202 minutes, personal care workers provided 168 (83.2%), followed by registered nurses (34 minutes, 16.8%). In the same quarter, Sunhaven Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
