Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Mullauna Blacktown is 3.75 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 219 minutes against a 217-minute daily care target; RN time is 46 against 44.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 35% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
86% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.4% 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.37% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Uniting Mullauna Blacktown?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 35% of residents surveyed at Uniting Mullauna Blacktown said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 32.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share rose from 28% in 2025. Another 43% answered “some of the time” and 21% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting Mullauna Blacktown spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.07 per resident per day, 75% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting Mullauna Blacktown, 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”.
35% 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 Mullauna Blacktown?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 86% of residents surveyed at Uniting Mullauna Blacktown answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff treat them with respect, 9.4 percentage points below the average of 95.4% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they feel safe (93% against 96.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (86% against 89.1%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.1%. In all, 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 staff are expected to treat residents. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect, 57% answered “always”, 29% “most of the time” and 14% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 79% of residents surveyed at Uniting Mullauna Blacktown answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
How does Uniting Mullauna Blacktown spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Uniting Mullauna Blacktown in the 2024–25 financial year was $238.04 per resident per day, 10% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $389.05 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($52.66), accommodation and maintenance ($44.39), and cleaning and laundry ($17.34) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($148) and registered nurses ($60.75).
How much care and nursing does Uniting Mullauna Blacktown provide?
Uniting Mullauna Blacktown reported 219 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 217 minutes. Of those minutes, 46 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Uniting Mullauna Blacktown 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 209 to 219.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 173 of the 219 minutes (79.0%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 21.0%). Uniting Mullauna Blacktown also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
