Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Uniting Salamander Bay is 4.15 out of 5, against 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 consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 219 minutes against a 213-minute daily care target; RN time is 48 against 43.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
62% positive in 2025, compared with 100% in 2024: 38 percentage points lower.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
62% 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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 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 Salamander Bay provide?
Uniting Salamander Bay reported 219 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 6 minutes above its target of 213 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 5 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In each of the last four quarters, Uniting Salamander Bay met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 214 to 219 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 219 minutes, personal care workers provided 171 (78.1%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 21.9%). Uniting Salamander Bay also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Uniting Salamander Bay?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Uniting Salamander Bay said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 8.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2024. Another 38% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Uniting Salamander Bay spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.41 per resident per day, 46% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Uniting Salamander Bay, 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.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Uniting Salamander Bay?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 100% of residents surveyed at Uniting Salamander Bay answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (93% against 81.8%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%).
At Uniting Salamander Bay, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Uniting Salamander Bay were asked whether they feel safe, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 77% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Uniting Salamander Bay, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How does Uniting Salamander Bay spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Uniting Salamander Bay spent $429.76 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $271.34 was 2% above 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 ($55.67), administration ($51.05), and cleaning and laundry ($24.62) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($162.64) and registered nurses ($69.45).
