Members of the Millicent community are figuratively “rolling out the red carpet” in order to attract nurses to their town’s hospital.

Simone Berry speaks for many when she said student nurses at Millicent and District Hospital are more likely to return as registered nurses if they have a positive experience during their on-the-job training at the Mount Gambier Road facility.

“We know of one such nurse who was here last year and asked to spend her year as a graduate nurse at Millicent in 2023,” Ms Berry said.

“If the student nurses are made comfortable and feel welcomed, others might return to Millicent.”

To this end, Ms Berry and others are working to upgrade the accommodation for student nurses which dates back almost 60 years.

At present, the student nurses are housed in what was formerly the Matron’s Flat in the hospital grounds.

At the time of the hospital’s construction in the 1960s, it was commonplace for the matron and the nurses to live onsite.

The matron was invariably a female and the position has long been renamed as the “director of nursing”.

Millicent has not had a live-in matron for over 40 years and the flat is unsuited for modern times.

For example, it does not have its own laundry and shares this facility with the adjacent station of the SA Ambulance Service.

As a result, Ms Berry and other members of the Millicent and Surrounds Health Support Group have joined forces with the Millicent Health Advisory Council to upgrade the accommodation for student nurses.

They are focussed on the five bedrooms, common kitchen, dining room, study, lounge room and bathroom.

Much of the work does not require trades personnel expertise and so working bees have been staged in the past month.

Ms Berry said they had attracted up to 12 volunteers with such tasks as painting, cleaning and removal of carpet.

“We are undertaking the work in three stages and our current focus is on the five bedrooms,” she said.

“We estimate that each bedroom will cost $3000 to furnish with a new bed, mattress, wardrobe, study desk, blinds and ceiling fans.

“Two of the bedrooms require new windows as they do not have any ventilation.

“This will be a task for a tradesman.

“The second stage is to upgrade the kitchen and dining area and some tiling and new appliances will be required.

“We hope to get a second-hand built-in kitchen which can be installed.

“The current bathroom arrangement lacks privacy and is not suitable for mixed sex use.

“This will involve the removal of the bath, installation of two shower cubicles and the partitioning of the toilet.

“This third stage is set to take place at the end of 2023.”

Ms Berry said the Millicent HAC and MASH Group members were mindful of who might be using the accommodation.

“They are working at the hospital which goes day-and-night,” she said.

“The student nurses are at Millicent for around 46 weeks of the year.”

Ms Berry and her fellow volunteers are looking for donations for the upgrade and are currently approaching service clubs and other local groups.