Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Whiddon Kelso is 3.52 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 report stronger support for independence
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Respectful treatment is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
72% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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 | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Whiddon Kelso?
When residents surveyed at Whiddon Kelso for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 72% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.3 percentage points below the average of 89.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they feel safe (86% against 96.5%) and whether staff explain things to them (76% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 95% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
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. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 29% answered “always”, 43% “most of the time” and 29% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 52% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Kelso answered “always” and 43% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Whiddon Kelso?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 67% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Kelso said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 3.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 75% in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Food spending at Whiddon Kelso in January to March 2026 was $19 per resident per day, 19% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.38 per resident per day, 36% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Whiddon Kelso, 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”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Whiddon Kelso provide?
Whiddon Kelso reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 216 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 44.
Whiddon Kelso 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 214 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Of the 220 minutes, personal care workers provided 166 (75.5%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.0%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.5%). Whiddon Kelso also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Whiddon Kelso spend on resident care?
Total spending at Whiddon Kelso in the 2024–25 financial year was $415.80 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $245.34 was 7% 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 accommodation and maintenance ($50.17), administration ($40.31), and cleaning and laundry ($27.65) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($154.38) and registered nurses ($55.89).
