Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Osborne Nowra is 3.93 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
97% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
89% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Support for independence is below the survey average
81% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% 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 | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Uniting Osborne Nowra?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 97% of residents surveyed at Uniting Osborne Nowra answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 8.9 percentage points above the average of 88.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (89% against 80.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (97% against 89.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 81% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 73% answered “always”, 8% “most of the time”, 4% “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 81% of residents surveyed at Uniting Osborne Nowra answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 81% answered “always” and 12% “most of the time”.
How does Uniting Osborne Nowra spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Uniting Osborne Nowra spent $370.75 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $241.10 was 9% 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 accommodation and maintenance ($51.24), administration ($45.36), and cleaning and laundry ($13.98) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($158.16) and registered nurses ($52.78).
How much care and nursing does Uniting Osborne Nowra provide?
In January to March 2026, Uniting Osborne Nowra reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes above its target of 205 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Uniting Osborne Nowra met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 205 to 213 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 163 minutes, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes). In the same quarter, Uniting Osborne Nowra also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Uniting Osborne Nowra?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Uniting Osborne Nowra said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 5.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 64% in 2025. Another 27% answered “some of the time” and 12% “never”.
Food spending at Uniting Osborne Nowra in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting Osborne Nowra, 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”.
62% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
