Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains is 3.6 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two 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 221 minutes against a 214-minute daily care target; RN time is 45 against 43.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 60% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
65% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
60% positive in 2026, compared with 80% in 2025: 20 percentage points lower.
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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.38% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.72% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 65% of residents surveyed at Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 23.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (75% against 95.4%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (65% against 84.2%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 30% answered “always”, 35% “most of the time”, 25% “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains were asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 40% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains provide?
Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains reported 221 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 220 to 223 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 176 of the 221 minutes (79.6%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.4%). Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains 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 Edinglassie Emu Plains?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 60% of residents surveyed at Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 7.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 80% in 2025. Another 30% answered “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
Food spending at Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 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 Edinglassie Emu Plains 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”.
60% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains spend on resident care?
Total spending at Uniting Edinglassie Emu Plains in the 2024–25 financial year was $411.92 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $259.53 was 2% below 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($50.97), accommodation and maintenance ($42.08), and cleaning and laundry ($20.45) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($164.09) and registered nurses ($61.53).
