Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Yaralla Place is 3.49 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
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% across other homes.
Residents report stronger support for independence
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 206 vs 215 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
31% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 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: 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 | 3.19 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.44% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.37% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Yaralla Place?
When residents surveyed at Yaralla Place for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 95% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.8 percentage points above the average of 84.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 87.1%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 92.7%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they get the care they need: 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 94.4%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. Of residents asked whether they get the care they need, 58% answered “always”, 21% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 74% of residents surveyed at Yaralla Place answered “always” and 26% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Yaralla Place?
When residents surveyed at Yaralla Place for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 31% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 36.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 50% in 2025. Another 63% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Yaralla Place spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.29 per resident per day, 4% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Yaralla Place 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”.
31% 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 Yaralla Place provide?
In January to March 2026, Yaralla Place reported 206 minutes of care per resident per day, 9 minutes below its target of 215 minutes. Of those minutes, 42 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Yaralla Place met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 206 to 237.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 164 of the 206 minutes (79.6%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 20.4%). Yaralla Place also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Yaralla Place spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Yaralla Place in the 2024–25 financial year was $238.10 per resident per day, 10% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $399.20 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?
Other categories included administration ($53.96), accommodation and maintenance ($40.70), and cleaning and laundry ($22.42) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($147.53) and registered nurses ($66.42).
