Government data reveals food score for every Victorian aged care home, residents have their say

Nearly a third of residents reported never liked the food at one Melbourne aged care home, which got the lowest score in the state. See how the Victorian facilities rate.

Food at a Melbourne aged care home has been given the lowest score in the state by residents, according to government data.

Almost three in 10 residents surveyed at Bupa Windsor said they never liked what they were served, while a further 57 per cent said they only liked the food some of the time.

The government data shows Bupa Windsor came bottom of the pack out of all aged care homes in the state and was the fourth lowest ranked in the country, with a score of 1.86 out of a maximum of four.

Calvary Cordelia Grove in Anglesea didn’t fare much better, and was rated second last in Victoria with a score of just 1.93. There one in five said they never liked the food and 67 per cent only liked the food some of the time.

A room at Bupa Windsor aged care home.

The data was collated from at least 10 per cent of residents from each home who were asked, “Do you like the food here?” Overall the views of 20 per cent of all residents in aged care were surveyed.

From that pool the government gave every home a ‘food score’. It’s the first time homes can be compared.

However, some homes said the ‘food score’ was unfair because the sample size was too small.

Dietitians Australia CEO Robert Hunt said it was important to ask residents whether they liked the food as it gave some insight into the overall food satisfaction.He said in some homes the ratings were “appalling”.

“It is incredibly distressing for families to see this information, particularly those who do not have a choice of where their older loved ones can live due to cost or location,” Mr Hunt said.

“However – a food satisfaction rating is not a measurement of the nutritional quality of the overall menu in a home.

“The only way data can be collected on this is through engaging an accredited practising dietitian to do an on-site menu and mealtime assessment.”

Dietitians Australia CEO Robert Hunt.

The data was extracted on January 23 from the government’s new Star Ratings, which was launched last month to help people compare the performance of homes more easily.

Kolor Lodge Hostel in Penshurst was rated the best in the state for its food, with a score of 3.78.

More than three quarters (78 per cent) said they always liked the food.

The worst home in the country was in Uniting Westmead in NSW with a score of 1.78 and where half of residents surveyed said they never liked the food.

A spokeswoman for Bupa said overall the Windsor aged care home received an overall 4 stars in the Star Ratings but recognised food was the biggest opportunity for improvement.

“Working with residents, our Windsor team has recently started a gardening program where produce grown onsite is used in the menu along with cooking demonstrations to enable residents to be part of the experience,” the spokeswoman said.

A spokeswoman for Calvary Cordelia Grove said the home received an overall 3 out of 5 stars in the Star Ratings.

She said of those surveyed 80 per cent liked the food, either most of the time or some of the time.

“Like most Calvary homes, all meals are cooked fresh on site by a qualified chef and use fresh produce as much as possible,” the spokeswoman said.

A spokesman from the Department of Health and Aged Care said the surveys are undertaken annually by an independent workforce, which “use a global best practice quantitative research methodology”.

A separate Government spokesman said it was improving transparency by asking 20 per cent of residents their thoughts on the food and including this, as well as quality indicator information impacted by food including weight loss, falls and pressure injury in the Star Ratings.

JULIE CROSS: AGED CARE FOOD ‘IS A TRAVESTY’

COMMENT: Food in aged care homes has been a contentious, emotive, issue for decades.

It’s also a hidden issue because residents fear if they speak out they will be thrown out.

Occasionally photos of meals find their way into the public domain, either from an aged care home insider or an angry relative of a resident.Inevitably it will be a photo of unappetising slop or a plate of beige; cheap party pies, chips and rice.

Meals completely lacking in protein and nutrients.

But not all homes are equal.

Some are doing a fabulous job.

An example of a main meal at an aged care home.

Our analysis of the government’s ‘food score’ for each home shows that it is based on a survey of at least 10 per cent of residents answering one question, “Do you like the food here?”

The government said overall one in five residents across all of the aged care homes were surveyed.Some aged care homes that have come bottom of the list argue that it is unfair for them to be judged on what a small percentage of the residents say.

They say results are outdated.

But it must be noted that, importantly, for the first time residents are having their voices heard; whether one, two or 22 of them.

And just one person saying that they never like the food is a travesty.

For half the surveyed residents to say that at Uniting Westmead, which received the lowest rating in the country, is unacceptable.Yes, the Star Ratings is not perfect, the government accepts that.

*Data about food ratings in this story is taken from every aged care facility that completed an official report and submitted it to the government’s star ratings system. Some facilities did not have any data at time of publication.