Early detection and treatment gives patients the best chance of a better health outcome.

Judi recalls a patient referred to the hospital for an urgent colonoscopy. Following completion of the Ararat Hospital’s redevelopment, the patient was able to undergo surgery immediately due to the extra theatre and beds.

The colonoscopy found early signs of bowel cancer which could then be swiftly treated. The patient is now cancer-free.

The multi-million-dollar redevelopment is also drawing new health workers to the region. Modern, innovative technology and facilities are attracting new specialist health and medical practitioners. These include gastroenterologists, pain management specialists and plastic surgeons.

Existing specialists have also expanded their services following the increase in capacity because of the redevelopment. Visiting surgeons are taking up more session times. While gynaecologists have begun offering in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services.

Residents across the Grampians region are also benefiting from improved access to diagnostics services. Thanks to a new diagnostics department at Ballarat Base Hospital.

The expanded department brings together services previously located throughout the hospital.

The new state-of-the-art diagnostics facility includes services for:

• heart monitoring and pacemaker revision
• brain monitoring
• respiratory function testing
• blood pressure monitoring.

Ben Kelly is the Chief Operating Officer at Grampians Health, which runs the new diagnostics department. He says the Victorian Government’s investment is hugely important to the local community.

‘Ballarat Base Hospital is one of the few regional hospitals offering comprehensive state-of-the-art diagnostics services,’ explains Mr Kelly.

‘Without this service, residents would need to travel to metropolitan hospitals.’

An aging population and rising levels of cardiovascular and respiratory disease means more patients need access to diagnostics services. While cases are becoming more clinically complex.

The new diagnostics department will meet these specific health needs. This includes services for patients with special needs and complex physical requirements, including those undergoing bariatric surgery.

The new diagnostics department is estimated to provide the community with access to an extra 1,500 examinations each year.

Mr Kelly says that feedback since the new diagnostics department opened has been positive with patients citing improved access, privacy, and efficiency.

He says the data collected by Grampians Health backs this up. ‘The upgrade has helped decrease wait times,’ adds Mr Kelly. ‘And patient throughput has improved 10 per cent compared to the same time last year.’

Seeing more patients faster gives them the best chance of early treatment and prevention of more serious illness or disease.

Learn more about the Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment.

There are three teams in my portfolio who manage the delivery of public health, mental health and residential aged care infrastructure projects. Each has a selection of specialists including project managers and project directors with a breadth of scale and experience across the teams.

Some of our larger projects include the $675-million-dollar community hospitals program. All the way down to delivering new Ambulance Victoria branches for two or three million dollars.

What projects are you passionate about?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a change in the need for mental health support, whether that be bricks and mortar or online consultations.

So, some of the highlight projects we are working on in the mental health portfolio include the Mental Health Beds Expansion Program.

We’re also delivering a range of youth mental health facilities across the state to meet the mental health needs of younger Victorians.

We are also seeing a growing demand for public sector residential aged care facilities. We're developing new residential facilities and refurbishing existing ones to ensure they can meet the complex care needs of vulnerable Victorians.

We've also just finished Murrenda (Wantirna residential aged care facility), a landmark new facility that has become the benchmark for public sector residential aged care in Victoria.

It’s a really great team environment. We pride ourselves on investing in our people through professional development to support our teams to be their best.

Our structure really allows promotion and progression through your professional ranks, whether you're joining as a junior project manager or project assistant, or as an experienced project director.

If you have never considered working in government before, I'd certainly encourage you to.

It’s a really engaged workforce and I’m really proud of what we’re delivering for Victoria.

What professional characteristics make a good project manager or director?

We really look for people who are highly trained in their specialist area, and are also passionate about building and leading teams that are inspired to come to work and deliver on behalf of Victoria.

People who are adept at dealing with complex project challenges and being able to deliver outcomes on time, on budget and safely.

Learn more about the Wantirna residential aged care facility, Community hospitals program and Ambulance Victoria Development Program.

Working at the VHBA

A great workplace is defined by its people.

That’s why we’ve built a valued-based, respectful and inclusive workplace – one that encourages innovation and curiosity for improving health outcomes for all Victorians.

Every person in our organisation plays a role in successfully delivering best-practice, sustainable, adaptable and inclusive health infrastructure.

We are proud of our gender equality and inclusivity. We encourage applications from people living with a disability, LGBTIQ+, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Learn more about working at the VHBA.

Employee benefits

As Australia’s second largest employer, the Victorian Public Service (VPS) provides rewarding opportunities to help shape Victoria’s future and create better outcomes for Victorian communities.

You can expect to receive a competitive salary and superannuation, plus a range of benefits including salary packing and extensive leave entitlements to help you achieve a work-life balance.

Learn more about VHBA employee benefits.

Career development

We support our people to grow, develop and learn. Our learning and professional development pathways will give you the opportunities to develop your skills and capabilities to perform your role effectively and grow your career.

The Victorian Public Sector whole of government capability framework and our department's capability framework provides guidance on aligning the professional development of all our employees to ensure we are building a future-ready workforce.

We provide many development pathways to help you plan and meet your learning and professional development needs – in your current role and in any new directions you see your career progressing.

Learn more about developing your career at VHBA.

Current opportunities

See all current opportunities at VHBA and sign up for job alerts on the Careers.Vic website.

We’re expanding Victoria’s early parenting centre (EPC) network to support new parents and carers.

Having a baby or child under four years of age is a special time for families. But it can also be a stressful time. For some, support from loved ones, their local doctor, and a maternal and child health service will be enough. Others will experience more persistent challenges. That’s where EPCs can help.

See how more early parenting centres will help families with children up to four years old.

Calm spaces for kids in emergency departments

We are also designing and building new specialist emergency departments for children at five of Victoria’s busiest hospitals.

Emergency staff explain how calmer spaces for kids are helping.

In the spotlight

What is good design in health infrastructure?

Good design provides a platform to transcend aesthetics to deliver benefits well beyond the built form. These benefits include improved models of care and safety, enhanced treatment outcomes and more dignified experiences for patients, aged care residents, staff and families.

Watch Stefano Scalzo, Executive General Manager of Infrastructure Planning at the Victorian Department of Health, and Professor Julie Bernhardt, Co-head of Stroke at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health discuss the benefits of good design in health infrastructure.

Project pulse

See our latest project updates and milestones for:

• Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment: Industry leaders shortlisted to build final stage
• Barwon Women’s and Children’s: Join the new Community Consultative Committee
• University Hospital Geelong: Construction starts on new children’s emergency department
• Melton: New ambulance branch opens
• New Footscray Hospital: Halfway point of construction

Work at VHBA: Meet some of our executive leadership team

• Executive Director Tina Skliros on building hospitals for communities
• Senior Executive Director Trent Burke on delivering high-quality infrastructure

In case you missed it

Procurement

Recently published:

• Ballarat Base Hospital Redevelopment - Multideck Car Park Expansion RFT
• Barwon Women’s and Children’s (BWC) Project – Endoscopy and Day Procedure Relocation Works
• Werribee Mercy ED Expansion Project – Early Works – EOI

We encourage suppliers to register on Buying for Victoria (tenders.vic.gov.au) and the Industry Capability Network (ICN Gateway) to view VHBA invitations to supply.

كانت المناطق الخاصة للأطفال جزءاً مهماً من إعادة تطوير قسم الطوارئ في مستشفى صن شاين بتكلفة 34.9 مليون دولار (اكتمل في عام 2021) وتوسيع قسم الطوارئ في مركز موناش الطبي بقيمة 76.3 مليون دولار (اكتمل في عام 2022).

يقول الأستاذ المساعد ديفيد كريسر، مدير طب الطوارئ للأطفال في مستشفى صن شاين: "في قسم الطوارئ العادي، قد ينزعج الأطفال من رؤية وسماع صوت المرضى البالغين المتألمين والمصابين. إن إنشاء مساحة يعرفون أنها مصممة للعائلات يمكن أن يساعد في الحفاظ على هدوء الأطفال والآباء ومقدمي الرعاية.

لقد رأى كيف يحدث ذلك فرقاً.

"لقد رأيت أمهات مع أطفال صغار يتحركون في قسم الطوارئ، مستاءون للغاية - على سبيل المثال إذا كان الطفل لا يتغذى جيداً.

"أُحضرهم إلى قسم الطوارئ للأطفال" وفي مساحة تلبي احتياجات الأمهات والأطفال بشكل واضح. أشير إلى محطة تسخين رضاعة الطفل وسرير إجراءات الطفل، في حال أصبح العلاج ضرورياً.

"هذا يتيح لهم معرفة أنهم في أفضل مكان ممكن ويمكنهم الجلوس على كرسي مريح للتحدث عن ما يجري."

يوضح الدكتور ديفيد، وهو معروف للعائلات في مستشفى صن شاين، أن استخدام غرف العلاج المصممة خصيصاً للأطفال - حيث يمكنهم إغلاق الباب من أجل الخصوصية - مفيد لإجراءات مثل أخذ عينة دم.

"يمكن للأطفال اختيار شيء يحبون مشاهدته والاستماع إليه على الجهاز اللوحي iPad، لمساعدتهم على الشعور براحة أكبر وخلق ما يلهيهم.

"الطلبات ليست دائماً ما قد تتوقعه، مثل مشاهدة Bluey أو The Wiggles. لقد كان لدينا مريض شاب يقول إن تصفح مقاطع فيديو على الإنترنت ستهدئه. أصيب أحد الصبية أثناء لعب كرة السلة، لذلك طلب مشاهدة أبرز أحداث الدوري الاميركي للمحترفين NBA للتفكير في التحسن والعودة إلى الملعب".

إذا كان الطفل الصغير يصعب عليه التعبير عما يريده، فسوف يسأل الموظفون أحد الأشقاء أو الوالدين أو مقدم الرعاية عما هو الأفضل.

"هذه المرونة تعني أننا لا نفرض نهجاً واحداً يناسب الجميع وفقاً لما نفترض أن الأطفال يرغبون في مشاهدته.

"لدينا أيضاً غرف فحص ذات أنماط متكررة ملونة مثل الزهور والقواقع وأشعة الشمس. نسأل عما إذا كان بإمكانهم إيجاد أحدهم على الحائط لإشراكهم وتشتيت انتباههم، وأخذ أفكارهم بعيداً عن تجربتهم المباشرة.

Good design provides a platform to transcend aesthetics to deliver benefits well beyond the built form.

These benefits include improved models of care and safety, enhanced treatment outcomes and more dignified experiences for patients, aged care residents, staff and families.

For decades architects, designers, clinicians and academics working in the health sector have been asking important questions about the impact of infrastructure, and the built environment.

Questions like, can a health facility be both functional and aesthetically pleasing?

Should we focus solely on the efficient treatment of illness, or should we also consider what factors can promote health and wellbeing?

And ultimately, can the way we design our healthcare environments encourage a greater sense of wellbeing?

We may intuitively know that aspects like natural light, green spaces and fresh air can make us feel better and more relaxed. And while global research broadly supports this, the conversation is now turning to how we can effectively measure the impacts of ‘good design’, in the same way we measure a building’s carbon footprint.

Stefano Scalzo, Executive General Manager of Infrastructure Planning at the Victorian Department of Health, sat down with Professor Julie Bernhardt, Co-head of Stroke at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, as they talk about good design in health infrastructure - and why it matters.