Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care is 3.6 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$11 a day vs a $16 sector median; 65% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 225 vs 225 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
60% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% 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 | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 60% of residents surveyed at UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 88.6% average across other homes by 28.6 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (60% against 81.8%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (70% against 85.2%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 7 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to 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, 15% answered “always”, 45% “most of the time”, 35% “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 70% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 25% answered “always” and 55% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 65% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 5.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 60% in 2024. Another 35% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care spent $11 per resident per day on food, 31% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.63 per resident per day, 125% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care, 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”.
65% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 225 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 223 to 225 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 152 of the 225 minutes (67.6%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 18.7%) and enrolled nurses (31 minutes, 13.8%). In the same quarter, UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, UnitingSA Westminster Village Aged Care spent $432.65 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $264.62 was in line with 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 ($55.97), accommodation and maintenance ($38.59), and cleaning and laundry ($30.80) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($135.32) and registered nurses ($56.08).
