Burnout in healthcare: Addressing rising mental health stress claims

The number of mental health stress claims in the healthcare and social assistance sector has more than doubled in the last decade as staff shortages, long hours, and overwhelming demands leave Australia’s healthcare workforce severely burnt out.

Official data pooled together by ShiftCare reveals there is an average of nine serious mental stress claims per day in the healthcare and social assistance industry. This is the second highest number of claims behind only the public administration and safety sector, where ten are made per day.

Between 2022 and 2023, a staggering 3,315 claims for serious mental stress occurred across all healthcare and social assistance workers. 

Averaging out 9.08 serious mental stress claims per day compared to 4.52 in 2012-13, the prevalence of psychological injuries is far more concerning than in other major industries such as education, retail, construction or mining.

In fact, the healthcare and social assistance industry has up to fifty times the number of serious mental stress claims compared with other industries. For example, the mining industry recorded just 99 serious mental stress claims in 2022-23 — a figure healthcare and social assistance surpassed in just two weeks. 

“The data shows that mental stress is not just common in the workplace, it is also a growing concern in the industry,” ShiftCare CEO Mat Cagney shared. 

“While demands in the healthcare industry are undeniable, the solution to mental stress and potential burnout lies in early intervention and improving support systems to ensure that care workers are equipped to thrive both mentally and physically. 

“This is not just about preventing burnout, it’s about creating a sustainable and supportive environment for those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.”

Additional insights show that in February, 2025, there was over 1,600 monthly searches for ‘signs of burnout’ and an additional 1,000 searches for ‘how to recover from burnout’ in online search engines. 

The high levels of mental stress within this industry are likely driven by factors such as chronic understaffing, increased patient demands, and emotional exhaustion from the constant pressures of caregiving, all of which can lead to burnout.

Many of these factors are linked to long-term, systemic issues that are affecting the mental well-being of workers on a wider scale. 

This may include limited access to mental health resources, staffing pressures that force workers to take on additional shifts, and inflexible rosters that do not promote positive work-life balance.

High pressure-environments filled with emotional strain and the responsibility of making critical decisions that can directly impact people’s lives also contribute to mental fatigue and stress.

Top tips for care workers to prevent burnout

ShiftCare provided three tips for care workers to prevent burnout, with a focus on those working in the community under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award. 

1. Know your benefits and workers’ rights

The SCHADS Award is a legal document in place to protect workers in the social and community services sector. It outlines the minimum employment standards and pay rates.

The SCHADS awards stipulate that employees have the right to reasonably predictable hours and should receive seven days’ notice of changes to their roster, allowing workers to maintain a schedule in the demanding role. 

Exceptions to this rule include employee-requested shift swaps, cover for staff illness, emergencies and, in the case of part-time staff, mutually agreed-on extra hours.

Similar rules apply to full time workers under the Aged Care Award, with varying requirements for part-time, casual or relieving staff. It is important to understand how the Award impacts you and what is agreed upon in a contract. 

2. Be strict with your leave entitlements

Ensuring you take your breaks and holidays is vital for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Whilst working overtime can be a great way to help your team out and earn some extra income, it is important to ensure that it doesn’t come at a cost to your mental well-being.

The SCHADS awards require employees to have a minimum 10-hour break between shifts or work periods. Employees are entitled to at least two full days off each week, four full days every fortnight, or eight full days within a 28-day cycle. 

These leave entitlements are designed to ensure that employees in the community services sector have the necessary time off to rest and recover, which is crucial given the often demanding nature of their work.

It is critical that employers and workers review relevant Award and/or contracts for detailed information on leave entitlements to ensure they are compliant. 

3. Understand your overtime rates of up to 150-200%

As a care worker, in the likely event you do pick up extra shifts, it’s important to understand your compensation entitlements.

Anything that spans out of the usual 38 hours per week should be paid overtime. Overtime rates for full-time care employees are 150% of the base rate for the first two hours and 200% thereafter. 

Additionally, shift work penalty rates are designed to compensate employees who work outside the standard span of hours, such as night shifts, weekends, and public holidays. For full-time and part-time employees, the shift work penalty rate is 150% of their base rate for Saturday shifts and 200% for Sundays. Casual employees receive a higher penalty rate of 175% for Saturdays and 225% for Sundays.

These rates ensure that all employees, full-time or casual, are fairly compensated for the additional demands of working overtime or non-standard shifts.

There are alternative options, as an employee and employer can agree in writing to give time off instead of overtime pay. The period of time off that an employee is entitled to take is the same as the number of overtime hours worked.

Again, it is important to clearly communicate these options and all agreements must be in writing to ensure transparency and appropriateness.