Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for The Bays Aged Care Facility is 4.07 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% 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.
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
59% positive in 2025, compared with 87% in 2024: 28 percentage points lower.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
59% 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 | 89.47% | 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 The Bays Aged Care Facility provide?
The Bays Aged Care Facility reported 217 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 18 minutes above its target of 199 minutes. Of those minutes, 42 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 41.
The Bays Aged Care Facility met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 217 minutes, personal care workers provided 158 (72.8%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 19.4%) and enrolled nurses (17 minutes, 7.8%). In the same quarter, The Bays Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at The Bays Aged Care Facility?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 59% of residents surveyed at The Bays Aged Care Facility said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 11.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 87% in 2024. Another 35% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Food spending at The Bays Aged Care Facility in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.17 per resident per day, 39% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to The Bays Aged Care Facility, 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”.
59% 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 The Bays Aged Care Facility?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at The Bays Aged Care Facility answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 10.7 percentage points above the average of 89.3% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (94% against 85.2%) and whether staff explain things to them (88% against 81.8%).
At The Bays Aged Care Facility, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 8 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?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at The Bays Aged Care Facility answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 76% answered “always” and 24% “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 The Bays Aged Care Facility was 94% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 88% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does The Bays Aged Care Facility spend on resident care?
Total spending at The Bays Aged Care Facility in the 2024–25 financial year was $464.17 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $283.44 was 7% 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 ($58.52), accommodation and maintenance ($45.11), and cleaning and laundry ($34.81) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($150.98) and registered nurses ($54.25).
