Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting AgeWell Kingsville is 3.71 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two 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.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
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
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 220 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 44 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.
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 | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How does Uniting AgeWell Kingsville spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Uniting AgeWell Kingsville spent $321.17 per resident per day on care and nursing, 21% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $522.87 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($55.54), accommodation and maintenance ($47.14), and cleaning and laundry ($38.83) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($139.70) and other care consumables ($70.45).
What is the food like at Uniting AgeWell Kingsville?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 85% of residents surveyed at Uniting AgeWell Kingsville said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 79% in 2024. Another 7% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting AgeWell Kingsville spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Uniting AgeWell Kingsville reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting AgeWell Kingsville, 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”.
85% 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 AgeWell Kingsville?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Uniting AgeWell Kingsville answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, 10.5 percentage points above the average of 89.5% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (93% against 85.2%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%).
At Uniting AgeWell Kingsville, 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?
When residents surveyed at Uniting AgeWell Kingsville were asked whether they feel safe, 79% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 79% answered “always” and 21% “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 Uniting AgeWell Kingsville was 93% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How much care and nursing does Uniting AgeWell Kingsville provide?
Uniting AgeWell Kingsville reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes below its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In two of the last four quarters, Uniting AgeWell Kingsville met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 218 to 228.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 160 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (19 minutes). In the same quarter, Uniting AgeWell Kingsville also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
