A PPP is a contract between the public and private sectors to deliver infrastructure and related services.

Tina’s team specialise in the set-up of PPPs with the private sector to ensure health infrastructure projects are delivered with the maximum efficiency, social and economic benefit for Victoria.

What does your role involve?

I am an executive director at the Victorian Health Building Authority.

I manage teams who oversee our program of major projects from project initiation, through procurement and into delivery.

My area reports directly to the CEO of VHBA, and we work alongside the executive directors leading individual streams of projects in delivery.

One key project I'm overseeing and I’m very excited about is the New Melton Hospital Project. In January we invited expressions of interest, which kickstarted the formal procurement process.

It's an exciting time, with the request for proposal due for release mid-2023.

I'm also working with our delivery team on the New Footscray Hospital Project and the New Frankston Hospital Redevelopment Project. Both are significant public private partnerships that are well into the construction phase.

I also oversee our contract administration team. This unit manages our operational public private partnerships, including:

• Casey Hospital expansion
• Royal Women's Hospital
• Royal Children's Hospital
• Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
• Bendigo Hospital.

My proudest moment at VHBA so far was seeing the New Footscray Hospital Project through from business case to the construction phase.

The project won the Government Partnerships Excellence prize in the 2022 National Infrastructure Awards.

Given the nature of my work in delivering major projects, the key thing that I love - and that has kept me here for over a decade now, is my project teams. The people that I lead and that I work with, and the way we work as a team.

Everything is about what is best for the project. We all chip in where we need to and importantly, we all have each other's backs, and we all work to lift each other.

And I love that I'm part of teams that deliver real tangible outcomes for our communities.

To be part of real meaningful change for communities and people who use our hospitals - not only from a patient perspective, but also from a staff perspective. That is a really rewarding opportunity when you can see that you make a real difference in people's lives.

We are looking for people who come from across sectors to help us grow and to bring different perspectives in how we do things.

Essentially, we're looking for people who work independently, who have foresight, who are problem solvers and who can work through issues from first principles, engage with stakeholders and build teams.

I started my career as a lawyer in infrastructure finance, before moving into managing major projects.

Delivering major health infrastructure projects is exciting and dynamic, where you are required to be forward thinking, innovative and resilient. Our jobs can be quite demanding, so it is fundamental for me that my teams enjoy the journey along the way.

I firmly believe there is real opportunity within the VHBA to build a career and develop a career as a woman. I believe that because I've proven it. I look back to most of the project teams that I have led and continue to lead – take for instance the New Footscray Hospital Project where I was project director building a team and leading it - out of the five key executive roles, four of them were women.

They have gone on to continue to lead. Many of them have now moved on into more senior roles within the VHBA, so not only do they continue to grow in their own career paths, but our future projects get the benefit of their experience and knowledge and development.

With the pipeline of projects here at VHBA, there are going to be ample opportunities to not only start a career within VHBA but continue to grow and develop your career here. 

Learn more about the new Melton Hospital.

The $577 million Victorian Heart Hospital is now officially open. Australia’s first standalone heart hospital is in the Monash University precinct at Clayton in Melbourne’s south-east.

Patients will have access to cutting-edge treatments thanks to the Monash Victorian Heart Institute hub for cardiac research, specialist training and patient clinical trials co-located within the hospital.

Professor Stephen Nicholls is Director of the Monash Victorian Heart Institute and Program Director at the new Victorian Heart Hospital.

He explains the benefits of embedding research at the heart of patient care.

Learn how innovation will help cardiac patients.

In the spotlight

New state-of-the-art mental health facility at Northern Hospital now complete

Construction of the new mental health facility at the Northern Hospital in Epping is now complete.

Once open, residents of Melbourne’s northern suburbs will be able to access specialist mental health treatment in a contemporary, safe setting.

The new facility responds to a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. It will allow an extra 655 Victorians to get the acute care they need each year.

The $115 million Wonthaggi Hospital expansion is complete, with the upgraded hospital now open and treating patients.

The new emergency department has an extra 18 treatment spaces, enabling the hospital to treat 26,000 more emergency patients each year.

The hospital’s surgery capacity will double, thanks to three new theatres and a procedure room. The expansion and upgrade also delivered:

• 32 new inpatient beds
• more car parking
• a new central energy plant.

Project pulse

See our latest milestones:

• Maryborough and District Hospital redevelopment: New student accommodation opens
• New Footscray Hospital: Construction nears half-way mark
• Frankston Hospital redevelopment: Construction update
• Ambulance branches: Upgrade complete in Ararat, on the way for Gippsland
• 2022-23 medical equipment and infrastructure funding rounds: Recipients announced
• Goulburn Valley Health’s Shepparton Hospital: Emergency department redevelopment complete

In case you missed it

Procurement

At VHBA, we’re responsible for planning and delivering the Victorian Government’s multi-billion-dollar health infrastructure program.

Our project pipeline will help to ensure more Victorians, regardless of their location, have access to the healthcare they need.

See how we are delivering Victoria’s health infrastructure investment.

Buying for Victoria

• Werribee Mercy emergency department expansion project – Early works – Expression of interest
• Barwon Women and Children's - Managing contractor - Advance notice
• Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment - Multideck car park expansion - Advance notice

We encourage suppliers to register on Buying for Victoria (tenders.vic.gov.au) and the Industry Capability Network (ICN Gateway) to view VHBA offers to supply. Find out more about VHBA procurement.

Special areas for children were an important part of the $34.9 million Sunshine Hospital emergency department redevelopment (completed in 2021) and the $76.3 million Monash Medical Centre emergency department expansion (completed in 2022).

Associate Professor David Krieser, Director of Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Sunshine Hospital, says: ‘In a regular ED, kids may get upset at the sight and sound of distressed and injured adult patients. Creating a space that they recognise as designed for families can help keep children, parents and carers calm.’

He’s seen how this makes a difference.

‘I’ve seen mums with young babies pacing around the ED, quite upset – for example if the bub isn’t feeding well.

‘I bring them to the kids’ ED and into a space that clearly caters for mums and babies. I point out the baby bottle-warming station and baby procedure crib, in case treatment becomes necessary.

‘This lets them know they are in the best possible place and can settle into a comfy chair to talk about what’s wrong.’

Dr David, as he’s known to families at Sunshine Hospital, explains that using treatment rooms designed specifically for children – where they can close the door for privacy – are useful for procedures like taking blood.

‘The kids can choose something they like to watch and listen to on an iPad, to help them feel more comfortable and create a distraction.

‘The requests aren’t always what you might expect, like Bluey or The Wiggles. We’ve had a young patient say that surf videos would chill him out. One boy had been hurt playing basketball, so he asked to watch NBA highlights to think about getting better and back on the court.’

If a little one struggles to express what they’d like, staff will ask a sibling, parent or carer what would work best.

‘This flexibility means we’re not imposing a one-size-fits-all approach of what we assume kids would want to look at.

‘We also have assessment rooms with discreet repeating patterns like flowers, snails and sunshine. We ask if they can spot one of these on the wall to engage and distract them, taking their thoughts away from their immediate experience.’