Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Caroona Yamba is 4 out of 5, against 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 208 minutes against a 201-minute daily care target; RN time is 47 against 41.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
74% positive in 2025, compared with 50% in 2024: 24 percentage points higher.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
74% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
79% 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 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 Yamba provide?
Uniting Caroona Yamba reported 208 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 201 minutes. Of those minutes, 47 came from registered nurses, 6 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 41.
In each of the last four quarters, Uniting Caroona Yamba met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 201 to 208 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 160 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (47 minutes). In the same quarter, Uniting Caroona Yamba also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Uniting Caroona Yamba?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 74% of residents surveyed at Uniting Caroona Yamba answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 15.3 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (79% against 89.5%) and whether staff explain things to them (74% against 81.8%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 4 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
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, 37% answered “always”, 37% “most of the time” and 26% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Caroona Yamba were asked whether they feel safe, 89% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 84% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Uniting Caroona Yamba?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Caroona Yamba for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 74% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 3.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 50% in 2024. Another 26% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Uniting Caroona Yamba in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.24 per resident per day, 14% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Uniting Caroona Yamba 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”.
74% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Uniting Caroona Yamba spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Uniting Caroona Yamba spent $408.60 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $255.09 was 4% below 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 accommodation and maintenance ($47.32), administration ($45.96), and cleaning and laundry ($24.53) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($151.72) and registered nurses ($78.73).
