Having been a frequent visitor to the Laidley Hospital growing up, Maintenance Officer Josh Kilpatrick knows exactly how patients feel when they come in the door.

The wrap-around care provided by long-term staff, some of whom were there when he rolled up as a child, is one of the things he likes best about working at the hospital.

“I grew up in Laidley; this is my hospital; this is my home. This is where I was taken when I came off the skates at the park growing up. You know everyone because most of the staff have been here for years. It has a very community-based feel to it.”

That community feel was one of the reasons Mr Kilpatrick came to work at the hospital over four years ago.

His all-encompassing job as Maintenance Officer covers everything from minor repairs, such as painting, fixing doors and keeping everything running, to cleaning out storage and building shelves.

“It being a 100-year-old building, there is always something that comes up.”

Besides the day-to-day maintenance, Mr Kilpatrick also manages site access for all staff, and is the Health and Safety Representative and Fire Safety Adviser.

“I do all the fire safety training for the staff on site, as well as the audits and reports that get sent through to QFES,” he said.

“There is a lot involved but I absolutely love it. This is the best job I have ever done, probably because there is always something different.

“It is an awesome place to work, out here in the rurals, I think because of that community feel. Growing up here this is my home and I take pride in it.”

Staff and visitors can spot Mr Kilpatrick in his pink high-vis shirt from Monday to Wednesday. The rest of the week he is at home with his wife and their five-month-old daughter.

“She is my life,” he said.

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