Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting McKay House Tamworth is 3.3 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. One finding stands 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 229 minutes against a 221-minute daily care target; RN time is 48 against 45.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 85% in 2024: 16 percentage points lower.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 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 McKay House Tamworth provide?
Uniting McKay House Tamworth reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 8 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
In each of the last four quarters, Uniting McKay House Tamworth met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 229 to 240 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 182 minutes, followed by registered nurses (48 minutes). In the same quarter, Uniting McKay House Tamworth also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Uniting McKay House Tamworth?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 76% of residents surveyed at Uniting McKay House Tamworth answered “always” or “most of the time”, 13.3 percentage points below the average of 89.3% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (85% against 95.9%) and whether they get the care they need (84% against 94.5%).
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Uniting McKay House Tamworth were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
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. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 38% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time”, 15% “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Uniting McKay House Tamworth were asked whether they feel safe, 77% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Uniting McKay House Tamworth?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Uniting McKay House Tamworth said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 16 percentage points lower than the 85% recorded in 2024. Another 23% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting McKay House Tamworth spent $19 per resident per day on food, 19% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.16 per resident per day, 43% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting McKay House Tamworth, 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”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Uniting McKay House Tamworth spend on resident care?
Total spending at Uniting McKay House Tamworth in the 2024–25 financial year was $448.42 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $282.69 was 7% above 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 administration ($56.23), accommodation and maintenance ($31.58), and cleaning and laundry ($30.16) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($181.71) and registered nurses ($71.19).
