Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Whiddon Beaudesert Star is 4.15 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 222 minutes against a 221-minute daily care target; RN time is 44 against 44.
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.
Worth a closer look
How well the home is run is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% 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 | 96.25% | 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 | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Whiddon Beaudesert Star?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 80% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Beaudesert Star said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 12.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 84% in 2025. Another 15% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Food spending at Whiddon Beaudesert Star in January to March 2026 was $19 per resident per day, 19% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.64 per resident per day, 129% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Whiddon Beaudesert Star, 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”.
80% 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 Whiddon Beaudesert Star?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 95% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Beaudesert Star answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, 5.9 percentage points above the average of 89.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%) and whether staff explain things to them (85% against 80.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%.
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, 35% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time”, 10% “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 90% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Beaudesert Star answered “always” and 5% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Whiddon Beaudesert Star provide?
Whiddon Beaudesert Star reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 44.
In each of the last four quarters, Whiddon Beaudesert Star met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 222 to 232 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 146 of the 222 minutes (65.8%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 19.8%) and enrolled nurses (32 minutes, 14.4%). Whiddon Beaudesert Star also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Whiddon Beaudesert Star spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Whiddon Beaudesert Star spent $434.74 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.8% of it. Care and nursing spending of $264.25 was in line with 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($43.84), accommodation and maintenance ($39.35), and cleaning and laundry ($28.10) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($143.07) and registered nurses ($60.13).
