Shift notes

What are shift notes?

Shift notes are the record a support worker completes for each shift: the start and finish times, the supports and tasks delivered, care given such as meals, medication and personal care, what was observed, any incidents, and what the next worker needs to know. They are the log of the shift itself. Together with the roster and timesheet, they show who supported which participant, when, and doing what.

"Shift notes" is a workplace term rather than a term defined in NDIS law. Many providers use it interchangeably with progress notes or case notes. Where an organisation separates them, the difference is focus:

• Shift notes answer "what happened on this shift?" They are task- and time-based, and they are written every shift.
• Progress notes answer "how is this person progressing towards their goals?" They are goal-based, and may be written every shift or as periodic summaries drawn from the shift notes.

In practice, the best shift notes include a short goal-progress section, so one document does both jobs. What matters for compliance is that the content is there, not what the form is called.

What goes in a shift note

There is no NDIS template. The NDIA's record-keeping guidance expects records of supports delivered to show the participant's name, NDIS number, date, amount or hours delivered and support type, and lists support logs and case notes among the records providers keep. The Practice Standards Information management outcome expects information to be accurately recorded, current and confidential, and recorded in a timely manner. A shift note that meets both usually has these sections:

Specialised records often sit alongside the shift note rather than inside it: the medication administration record under the provider's medication management procedures, bowel or fluid charts, seizure logs, and records of any regulated restrictive practice used under a behaviour support plan. The shift note should mention them so the reader knows to look.

Shift notes vs progress notes, handovers and incident reports

Four records are written around a shift, and each does a different job:

A shift handover is a to-do list and risk summary for the incoming worker, not a full record. An incident report goes through the incident management system, and some incidents must also be notified to the NDIS Commission within set timeframes (NDIS Commission: reportable incidents). Mention the incident in the shift note and reference the report, but never use the note instead of it.

Shift notes in shared living and overnight shifts

In Supported Independent Living (SIL) and other shared homes, one worker may support several residents on the same shift. Write a separate note for each participant, because each person's file must hold only their own information. Refer to other residents by initials or a role such as "a co-resident". Put house-level matters, such as equipment faults, supplies and maintenance, in a separate house log or handover section.

Overnight shifts need notes too. For a sleepover, record each time the worker was woken to provide support, for how long and why. Those records matter twice: under the SCHADS Award, work during a sleepover is paid at overtime rates with a minimum of one hour, and the NDIA's SIL operational guideline treats regular awake support above 2 hours a night as a sign that active overnight support may be needed. For active overnight shifts, record the checks and support given through the night as your policy requires.

Shift notes, timesheets and claims

The times in a shift note should match the roster, the timesheet and the claim. When they don't, at least one of them is wrong. That affects two separate obligations:

• Claims. Providers can only claim for supports actually delivered. If the NDIA or an auditor asks for evidence, the shift note is usually what shows the support happened for the hours claimed.
• Pay. Under the SCHADS Award, pay depends on exact start and finish times: loadings, weekend rates, overtime and minimum payments. The Fair Work Ombudsman says employers must keep time and wages records for 7 years (record-keeping fact sheet). You can see how times change pay in the SCHADS pay calculator.

A simple weekly check catches most problems: compare each worker's shift notes against their approved timesheet and the claims for the same participants, and follow up anything that doesn't line up before payroll and claiming close.

Storing and correcting shift notes

Keep shift notes in the organisation's system, not on personal phones, paper scraps or group chats. The Practice Standards expect documents to be stored with appropriate access, security, retention and disposal processes, and participants must be told how they can access or correct their information. Role-based access means workers see the participants they support, not everyone.

If a note is wrong, don't delete or overwrite it. Add a dated correction or addendum that says what was wrong, what is correct, and who made the change. On paper, draw a single line through the error so it stays readable. Plan to keep shift notes for at least 7 years: incident-related records must be kept for 7 years under the NDIS Rules, and the 2026 NDIS Act amendments set a 7-year period for providers' payment-related records.

How to write good shift notes

Write the note before you leave the shift, in plain objective language. Record what you saw and what the participant said, not your interpretation; "chose not to" rather than "refused"; times rather than "later". The free NDIS progress note writer flags subjective wording and works for shift notes too.

Common shift note mistakes

• "Nothing to report" when medication was declined, a PRN was given or the participant's routine changed.
• Rostered times instead of actual times, which breaks the link between the note, the timesheet and the claim.
• Copy-paste notes that are identical shift after shift.
• One note for the whole house that names every resident.
• Incidents recorded only in the shift note with no incident report.
• Notes written days later, or kept on personal phones and group chats.
• Labels and opinions such as "difficult", "non-compliant" or "had a good day".