Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads is 3.6 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 218 minutes against a 212-minute daily care target; RN time is 46 against 43.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
88% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
56% positive in 2025, compared with 80% in 2024: 24 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.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
56% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% 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: 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads provide?
In January to March 2026, Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day, 6 minutes above its target of 212 minutes. Of those minutes, 46 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads 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 218 to 230.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 171 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (46 minutes). In the same quarter, Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 56% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 80% in 2024. Another 38% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads spent $20 per resident per day on food, 25% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.36 per resident per day, 29% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads, 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”.
56% 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 Pacifica Nambucca Heads?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 94% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 8.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (88% against 81.8%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 82% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%.
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. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 13% answered “always”, 69% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 75% of residents surveyed at Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
How does Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads spend on resident care?
Total spending at Uniting Pacifica Nambucca Heads in the 2024–25 financial year was $438.21 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $277.96 was 5% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($47.69), accommodation and maintenance ($44.02), and cleaning and laundry ($26.08) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($171.41) and registered nurses ($73.29).
