The Health Professionals and Support Services Award (MA000027) covers employers working in the health industry and their employees who fit within the award’s classifications.
While you can review the Health Professionals and Support Services Award on the Fair Work website, the document is often filled with complicated legal jargon, making it challenging to understand whether or not your health industry business is meeting all the compliance requirements.
With a recent focus on payroll compliance from Fair Work Commission Australia and media coverage of businesses guilty of wage theft, it’s more important now than ever that companies understand what’s expected of their obligations when it comes to being compliant with pay rates and employment conditions.
Just in the last 18 months, there were payroll compliance breaches with Available Dental Care (Pty) Ltd and No Brace Centre. They were found to have failed to pay a range of minimum entitlements under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.
To help guide you in the right direction, we’ve created an easy-to-understand eBook that summarises all the essentials in the Health Professionals and Support Services Award. Our eBook also includes a payroll processing checklist for your health services business so that you can ensure you cover all your bases and remain compliant in terms of the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.
We’ve also put together this article to cover some of the conditions commonly missed in the Health Professionals and Support Services Award that you should know to ensure you fully understand how to be 100% compliant.
Different Health Professional Practices Have A Different Span of Work Hours
However, for different practices, the span of hours for day workers differs.
For example, a dental clinic has a different span of ordinary workday hours than a private medical imaging practice.
The below table explains the different span of workday hours for various practice areas:
|
Practice |
Monday to Friday Span of Hours |
Saturday Hours |
|
Private Medical; Dental; Pathology; Physiotherapy; Chiropractic; and Osteopathic practices. |
Between 7.30 am and 9.00 pm |
Between 8.00 am and 4.30 pm |
|
Private Medical Imaging Practices - 5-day and half-day practices |
Between 7.00 am and 9.00 pm |
Between 8.00 am and 1.00 pm |
|
Private Medical Imaging Practices - 7-day practices |
Between 7.30 am and 9.00 pm |
Between 7.30 am and 9.00 pm, including Sunday’s. |
Your Employee Can Forgo Their Unpaid Meal Break
However, if they work day finishes after 6 hours, they can choose to forgo their unpaid meal break.
For example, Luke is a casual employee working at a local dental clinic.
According to his rostering arrangements, he typically only works a 5.5-hour shift in the morning. Instead of packing in his lunch and eating it at work, he has decided to have his lunch once he has finished his shift.
Temporary Higher Duties Requires Higher Compensation
A Support Services employee who works for:
- 2 hours or less in any higher classified duties will be paid at a higher rate for the time worked at the higher level; and
- more than 2 hours in any higher classified duties will be paid at a higher rate for the full day or shift worked at the higher level.
Working In The Heat Requires Extra Breaks
For example, if Shannon works an 8-hour shift in 47°C degree weather she’ll be allowed to take 3 x 20-minute breaks to cool down:
- one break after her first 2 hours;
- another break after her second 2 hours; and
- one last break before going into the final 2 hours of her shift.
What’s more, is that employees who have been working at their current place of work since before 8 August 1991 and who work for more than 1 hour in artificially raised temperature must be paid:
- where the temperature exceeds 40°C but does not exceed 46°C—$0.48 per hour or part thereof; or
- where the temperature exceeds 46°C—$0.57 per hour or part thereof.
Is Your Employee Exposed to Radiation Hazards?
Any out of pocket expenses arising from the blood count test must be reimbursed in terms of the blood check allowance.
On-Call Telephone Costs Must Be Covered
For example, Bridgette is a nurse at her city’s primary public hospital. She worked on-call shifts most weeks and was required to set-up a phone separate to her personal mobile phone.
The hospital covers that monthly contract’s cost, and Bridgette only uses the phone for work purposes.
After Working Overtime, Employees Must Be Given 10 Hours Off
If they aren’t given the 10 hours off, they must be paid as follows:
|
Overtime rate for full- and part-time employees |
Overtime rate for casual employees |
|
200% |
250% |
Key Takeaways
Beyond reading the Health Professionals and Support Services Award eBook and this article, given the complexity of the award, we have found that adopting Employment Hero's cloud payroll software to automate your compliance and help with labour cost control is a handy tool.
Pay Cat are payroll specialists dedicated to helping Australian businesses simplify payroll and ensure 100% compliance with modern awards. As Employment Hero Payroll experts, we provide tailored solutions that streamline payroll processes, reduce errors, and save time.
See how Pay Cat can simplify payroll for your business.
Book a demo today.
