Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Warrina Hostel is 4.15 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% across other homes.
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
Support for independence is below the survey average
83% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% 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: 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Warrina Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Warrina Hostel for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 24.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share was also 92% in 2025. Another 8% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Warrina Hostel in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.55 per resident per day, 96% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Warrina Hostel 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”.
92% 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 Warrina Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Warrina Hostel for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.9 percentage points above the average of 88.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (92% against 80.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 83% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%.
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, 83% answered “always” and 17% “some of the time”; none answered “most of the time” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Warrina Hostel answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”.
How does Warrina Hostel spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Warrina Hostel in the 2024–25 financial year was $197.48 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $354.49 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 accommodation and maintenance ($60.65), cleaning and laundry ($30.87) and administration ($27.09) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($71.96) and registered nurses ($63.25).
How much care and nursing does Warrina Hostel provide?
Warrina Hostel reported 182 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 6 minutes above its target of 176 minutes. Registered nurses provided 54 of those minutes, 17 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 37.
Warrina Hostel met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 173 to 194 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 95 of the 182 minutes (52.2%), followed by registered nurses (54 minutes, 29.7%) and enrolled nurses (33 minutes, 18.1%). In the same quarter, Warrina Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
