Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Elanora Shellharbour is 3.78 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 210 minutes against a 203-minute daily care target; RN time is 43 against 42.
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
90% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
50% positive in 2026, compared with 65% in 2025: 15 percentage points lower.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
75% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% 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: 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 | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.72% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Uniting Elanora Shellharbour provide?
In January to March 2026, Uniting Elanora Shellharbour reported 210 minutes of care per resident per day, 7 minutes above its target of 203 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Uniting Elanora Shellharbour met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 199 to 210.
Who provides that care?
Of the 210 minutes, personal care workers provided 167 (79.5%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 20.5%). Uniting Elanora Shellharbour also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Uniting Elanora Shellharbour?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Elanora Shellharbour for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 92.7% average across other homes by 17.7 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (90% against 95.4%) and whether they get the care they need (90% against 94.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 90% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.2%. Altogether, answers on 3 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 how residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 65% answered “always”, 10% “most of the time” and 25% “never”; none answered “some of the time”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 90% of residents surveyed at Uniting Elanora Shellharbour answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Uniting Elanora Shellharbour?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 50% of residents surveyed at Uniting Elanora Shellharbour said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 17.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 65% in 2025. Another 30% answered “some of the time” and 20% “never”.
Food spending at Uniting Elanora Shellharbour in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.21 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting Elanora Shellharbour, breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. All meals are prepared off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
50% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Uniting Elanora Shellharbour spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Uniting Elanora Shellharbour in the 2024–25 financial year was $236.49 per resident per day, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $367.46 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($50.98), accommodation and maintenance ($37.05), and cleaning and laundry ($18.55) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($156.10) and registered nurses ($56.55).
