Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Warrigal Care Coniston is 4 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
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Support for independence is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
61% positive in 2026, compared with 77% in 2025: 16 percentage points lower.
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: 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 | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.18% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Warrigal Care Coniston provide?
Warrigal Care Coniston reported 254 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 25 minutes above its target of 229 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
Warrigal Care Coniston met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 248 to 260.
Who provides that care?
Of the 254 minutes, personal care workers provided 209 (82.3%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 17.7%). In the same quarter, Warrigal Care Coniston also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Warrigal Care Coniston?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Warrigal Care Coniston answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, above the 89.1% average across other homes by 10.9 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%) and whether the home is well run (92% against 88.1%), 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: 62% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%. Altogether, answers on 3 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
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, 62% answered “always”, 15% “some of the time” and 23% “never”; none answered “most of the time”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Warrigal Care Coniston answered “always”.
How does Warrigal Care Coniston spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Warrigal Care Coniston spent $293.89 per resident per day on care and nursing, 11% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $477.58 per resident per day. 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 administration ($74.14), accommodation and maintenance ($42.92), and cleaning and laundry ($23.03) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($166.71) and registered nurses ($69.75).
What is the food like at Warrigal Care Coniston?
When residents surveyed at Warrigal Care Coniston for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 61% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2025. Another 38% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Warrigal Care Coniston in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Warrigal Care Coniston reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Warrigal Care Coniston reports that 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”.
61% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
