Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt is 4.15 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are 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 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 230 minutes against a 226-minute daily care target; RN time is 60 against 45.
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
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
67% positive in 2025, compared with 91% in 2024: 24 percentage points lower.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
67% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% 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: 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 | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 67% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt 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 91% in 2024. Another 33% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt spent $32 per resident per day on food, 100% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-freeze method. Of all meals, 30% are prepared on site and the rest off 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 Narrabri Jessie Hunt provide?
Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt reported 230 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 226 minutes. Registered nurses provided 60 of those minutes, 15 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
In each of the last four quarters, Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 234.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 157 minutes, followed by registered nurses (60 minutes) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes). Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, above the 89.3% average across other homes by 10.7 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (92% against 81.8%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 8 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 83% of residents surveyed at Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt was 91% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Whiddon Narrabri Jessie Hunt spent $452.03 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $285 was 8% above the sector median of $264.85. These figures 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 ($47.70), administration ($47.49), and cleaning and laundry ($24.26) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.30) and registered nurses ($95.43).
