Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Three Tree Lodge 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 224 minutes against a 210-minute daily care target; RN time is 52 against 43.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
38% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
38% positive in 2025, compared with 77% in 2024: 39 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.
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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Three Tree Lodge?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 69% of residents surveyed at Three Tree Lodge answered “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 89.3% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (84% against 96.0%) and whether they get the care they need (84% against 94.5%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 15% answered “always”, 54% “most of the time” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 69% of residents surveyed at Three Tree Lodge answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Three Tree Lodge?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 38% of residents surveyed at Three Tree Lodge said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 32.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2024. Another 46% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Food spending at Three Tree Lodge in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.38 per resident per day, 36% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Three Tree Lodge, 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”.
38% 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 Three Tree Lodge provide?
Three Tree Lodge reported 224 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 14 minutes above its target of 210 minutes. Registered nurses provided 52 of those minutes, 9 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Three Tree Lodge met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 214 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Of the 224 minutes, personal care workers provided 149 (66.5%), followed by registered nurses (52 minutes, 23.2%) and enrolled nurses (23 minutes, 10.3%). Three Tree Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Three Tree Lodge spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Three Tree Lodge spent $417.16 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $268.85 was 2% 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 administration ($51.65), cleaning and laundry ($28.85), and accommodation and maintenance ($25.43) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($147.89) and registered nurses ($61.65).
