Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 - A Simple Guide for Your Business
What is this Award and Who Does it Cover?
In plain English, this Award applies to employers and employees across the "health industry" - essentially any business involved in the delivery of medical, dental, or general healthcare services.
If you operate any of the following, your employees are likely covered:
General medical practices and specialist clinics.
Dental practices.
Physiotherapy, chiropractic, and osteopathic centers.
Pathology and medical imaging services.
Podiatry clinics and women’s health centers.
It is critical to note that Medical Practitioners (doctors) are not covered by this Award. Other professionals, such as nurses or certain specialists covered by more specific industry awards, may also be excluded.
Common Roles Covered by the Award
The Award divides staff into two clear streams. Identifying where your employees sit is the first step toward correct payroll management.
Support Services These are the vital roles that ensure your practice operates efficiently:
Receptionists, general clerks, and medical records staff.
Cleaners and laundry hands.
Dental assistants (including both qualified and unqualified staff).
Drivers and maintenance handypersons.
Food services staff and cooks.
Health Professionals These roles generally require tertiary qualifications or professional registration:
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and podiatrists.
Psychologists and social workers.
Dental therapists, dental hygienists, and oral health therapists.
Pharmacists and medical laboratory technicians.
Speech pathologists.
Hours of Work and Minimum Shifts
For a full-time employee, the standard working week is an average of 38 hours. The Award defines a "span of hours" - the window of time where these hours can be worked without triggering overtime.
For a standard day worker, this span is generally 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
However, for private medical, dental, and allied health practices, the Award allows for a wider span to meet patient needs. In these clinics, the span of ordinary hours starts as early as 7:30 am and extends to 9:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and also includes Saturdays from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
The Minimum Engagement Rule
When rostering, you must adhere to "minimum engagement" rules. This means that once an employee starts a shift, they must be paid for a minimum amount of time, even if the work, or a mandatory meeting, only lasts 15 minutes.
Casual employees must be paid for at least 3 hours per shift.
The only exception is for cleaners in private medical practices, who have a 2-hour minimum engagement.
Breaks
Unpaid Meal Breaks: If an employee works more than 5 hours, they must be given an unpaid meal break of between 30 and 60 minutes.
Paid Tea Breaks: Employees are entitled to a paid 10-minute tea break for every 4 hours worked. These are considered time worked.
Flexible Option: If you and your employee agree, you can combine two 10-minute tea breaks into one 20-minute paid break.
Understanding Shiftwork
Shiftwork applies to work regularly scheduled outside of standard daytime hours. Specifically, a shiftworker is someone whose ordinary hours start before 6:00 am or finish after 6:00 pm (extending as late as 8:00 am the following day).
Because these hours are less convenient for staff, they attract a penalty rate:
Permanent employees receive an extra 15% on top of their base rate.
Casual employees receive a total of 140% of the minimum hourly rate (this higher rate includes and replaces their usual casual loading).
Pay, Penalties, and Allowances Made Simple
Minimum Pay: Every role is assigned a "Level" based on duties and experience. Each Level has a minimum hourly rate.
Casual Loading: Casuals generally receive 25% extra pay to compensate for the lack of paid leave entitlements.
Weekend Penalties: Working on weekends attracts higher rates because the time is considered "unsociable." Permanent staff receive 150% for weekend work. Casual employees must be paid 175% for Saturday and Sunday work, which replaces their standard 25% casual loading.
Allowances: The Award provides for extra payments to cover specific costs. These include "on-call" allowances for staff available to work at short notice, laundry allowances for uniforms, and meal allowances if an employee works more than one hour of overtime beyond their usual finishing time.
Why Correct Classification Matters
Job titles do not matter. Actual duties do. You must classify an employee based on the highest level of work they are regularly required to perform. Putting an employee at the wrong "Level" is a major compliance risk that can lead to costly back-pay claims.
Progression is also a key factor. Employees do not stay at the same pay point forever.
Full-time employees move up a pay point every year.
Part-time and casual employees must move up a pay point once they have completed 1824 hours of similar experience.
Key Things Employers Get Wrong
Avoid these common pitfalls to protect your practice:
If you hire a part-time employee, you must agree on their regular pattern of work (days, hours, and start/finish times) in writing before they start.
You must update the pay point for both part-time and casual staff once they reach the 1824-hour milestone.
The Right to Disconnect. Employees generally have the right to ignore work-related contact outside of hours.
If you call a casual employee in for a 15-minute staff meeting, you are still legally required to pay them for the 3 hour minimum.
Practical Compliance Tips
To maintain a healthy, compliant workplace, we recommend these four steps:
Maintain Meticulous Records: Keep clear logs of start and finish times, including all unpaid meal breaks.
Conduct Annual Reviews: Once a year, review every employee's duties and hours to ensure their classification and pay point remain accurate.
Readily Accessible: It is a legal requirement under the Fair Work Act to ensure your staff can easily access a copy of the Award and the National Employment Standards (NES), whether via a staff notice board or an internal digital folder.
Use Written Agreements: Never rely on verbal handshakes for flexible work arrangements or changes to part-time hours. Always put it in writing.
While the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 may seem complex, it provides the essential framework for a fair and functional workplace. If anything here has raised any questions, reach out to FiveSeven, we can help you solve.
The information above forms part of our Understanding Your Award series and provides a high-level overview only. Further obligations may apply depending on your business and workforce. This Information is current at the time of publication Jan 2026. Workplace laws and awards may change.
