Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Waranga Nursing Home is 4.55 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
91% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $14 vs a $16 sector median.
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 216 minutes against a 195-minute daily care target; RN time is 61 against 40.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Waranga Nursing Home provide?
In January to March 2026, Waranga Nursing Home reported 216 minutes of care per resident per day, 21 minutes above its target of 195 minutes. Registered nurses provided 61 of those minutes, 21 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 40.
In each of the last four quarters, Waranga Nursing Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 216 to 255.
Who provides that care?
Enrolled nurses provided 89 of the 216 minutes (41.2%), followed by personal care workers (66 minutes, 30.6%) and registered nurses (61 minutes, 28.2%). Waranga Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Waranga Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Waranga Nursing Home for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 91% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 20.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 57% in 2024. Another 8% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Waranga Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Waranga Nursing Home reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Waranga Nursing Home, 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”.
91% 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 Waranga Nursing Home?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% of residents surveyed at Waranga Nursing Home answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 14.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Waranga Nursing Home were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Waranga Nursing Home answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Waranga Nursing Home was 92% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 92% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does Waranga Nursing Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Waranga Nursing Home spent $318.09 per resident per day on care and nursing, 20% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $488.85 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 ($68.38), cleaning and laundry ($43.96), and accommodation and maintenance ($16.35) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to enrolled nurses ($108.47) and registered nurses ($97.14).
