Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Wattleglen is 3.08 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
75% positive in 2025, compared with 40% in 2024: 35 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
75% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 196 vs 202 minutes; registered nurses: 46 vs 42 minutes per resident per day.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
63% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.35% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
Where is Wattleglen?
Wattleglen is at 28 Surkitt Boulevard, Sale. The closest named places on OpenStreetMap are Glenhaven Park (220 m), Cantwell Dr/Princes Hwy (490 m) and Sale Baptist Church (750 m). Every distance here is a straight line from the home’s mapped location, not a road route.
The nearest hospital is Central Gippsland Health, Community Services, 3.4 km away. The closest GP or medical centre is Gippsland Specialist Services, at 2.5 km. The nearest pharmacy, Chemist Warehouse, is 3.1 km from the home. These distances matter most for residents who keep appointments outside the home, so it is worth asking how transport to them is arranged.
The nearest bus stop, Cantwell Dr/Princes Hwy, is 490 m from the home. The closest train station is Sale, 2.9 km away. For everyday errands, Mowgleys supermarket is 2.6 km away and Gippsland Centre is 3.2 km. For visitors and outings, Glenhaven Park is 220 m away, Sale Library is 3.7 km and Sale Baptist Church is 750 m.
Which facilities are closest?
- ParkGlenhaven Park220 m
- Bus stopCantwell Dr/Princes Hwy490 m
- Place of worshipSale Baptist Church750 m
- GP or medical centreGippsland Specialist Services2.5 km
- SupermarketMowgleys2.6 km
The four closest, on the map
Pins 1 to 4 are the four closest facilities, in the same order as the list.
Sources and Explanation
Each place is the nearest named facility of its kind on OpenStreetMap, measured in a straight line from the home’s mapped location. These are not walking or driving times, and the map may miss newer or unnamed places; check the route before relying on a distance.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, read 25 September 2026.
What do residents say about Wattleglen?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Wattleglen answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 26.3 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (69% against 89.5%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (69% against 88.6%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Wattleglen, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 25% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time”, 31% “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 69% of residents surveyed at Wattleglen answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 63% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Wattleglen provide?
In January to March 2026, Wattleglen reported 196 minutes of care per resident per day, 6 minutes below its target of 202 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
In none of the last four quarters did Wattleglen meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 195 to 197 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 196 minutes, personal care workers provided 139 (70.9%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 23.5%) and enrolled nurses (11 minutes, 5.6%). In the same quarter, Wattleglen also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Wattleglen?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 75% of residents surveyed at Wattleglen said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 40% in 2024. Another 25% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Wattleglen in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.59 per resident per day, 111% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Wattleglen, 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”.
75% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Wattleglen spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Wattleglen spent $403.96 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $242.90 was 8% below 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?
Other categories included administration ($48.59), accommodation and maintenance ($37.38), and cleaning and laundry ($27.36) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($129.55) and registered nurses ($66.65).
