Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah is 3.93 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 225 minutes against a 220-minute daily care target; RN time is 48 against 44.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
58% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% 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 | 88.59% | 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 Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah provide?
Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 5 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In each of the last four quarters, Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 224 to 233.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 177 of the 225 minutes (78.7%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 21.3%). Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 58% of residents surveyed at Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 12.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 57% in 2024. Another 36% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah spent $18 per resident per day on food, 13% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.44 per resident per day, 57% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah reports that breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
58% 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 Caroona Kalina Goonellabah?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 92% of residents surveyed at Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 10.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (93% against 85.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (93% against 88.6%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 95.9%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
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, 71% answered “always”, 14% “most of the time” and 14% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 93% of residents surveyed at Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 86% answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”.
How does Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah spend on resident care?
Total spending at Uniting Caroona Kalina Goonellabah in the 2024–25 financial year was $435.96 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $279.57 was 6% 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 ($50.27), accommodation and maintenance ($46.02), and cleaning and laundry ($28.25) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($178.98) and registered nurses ($69.97).
