Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Abrina Ashfield is 4.23 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
93% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes; spending is $14 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 226 minutes against a 224-minute daily care target; RN time is 46 against 45.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents consistently feel safe
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.3% 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.31% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Uniting Abrina Ashfield?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 93% of residents surveyed at Uniting Abrina Ashfield said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 25.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share was also 93% in 2025. Another 7% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting Abrina Ashfield spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.02 per resident per day, 93% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Uniting Abrina Ashfield 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”.
93% 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 Uniting Abrina Ashfield?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Uniting Abrina Ashfield answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 11.9 percentage points above the average of 88.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (92% against 80.2%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 84.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.3%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. Of residents asked whether they feel safe, 79% answered “always”, 14% “most of the time” and 7% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Abrina Ashfield were asked whether they get the care they need, 57% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
How does Uniting Abrina Ashfield spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Uniting Abrina Ashfield spent $291.87 per resident per day on care and nursing, 10% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $442.03 per resident per day. 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 ($59.16), accommodation and maintenance ($37.32), and cleaning and laundry ($22.59) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($183.74) and registered nurses ($69.85).
How much care and nursing does Uniting Abrina Ashfield provide?
In January to March 2026, Uniting Abrina Ashfield reported 226 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Uniting Abrina Ashfield 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 226 to 238.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 180 of the 226 minutes (79.6%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 20.4%). In the same quarter, Uniting Abrina Ashfield also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
