Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst is 3.78 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
90% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $12 vs a $16 sector median.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
90% positive in 2025, compared with 67% in 2024: 23 percentage points higher.
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
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
90% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% 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 | 95.87% | 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 | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 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 |
What is the food like at Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 90% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 67% in 2024. Another 5% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Food spending at Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.10 per resident per day, 64% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst 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”.
90% 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 Bowden Brae Normanhurst?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (95% against 85.2%) and whether staff explain things to them (90% against 81.8%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect: 90% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 95.9%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff are expected to treat residents. Of residents asked whether staff treat them with respect, 74% answered “always”, 16% “most of the time” and 11% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 89% of residents surveyed at Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst answered “always” and 5% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 74% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst provide?
Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst reported 236 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 5 minutes above its target of 231 minutes. Registered nurses provided 49 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 46.
In three of the last four quarters, Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 231 to 243.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 186 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (49 minutes). In the same quarter, Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Uniting Bowden Brae Normanhurst spent $451.23 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $273.96 was 3% 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 administration ($52.58), accommodation and maintenance ($41.89), and cleaning and laundry ($30.44) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($177.76) and registered nurses ($67.43).
