Wakari hospital

Problems with Wakari Hospital's phone system have resulted in a patient's mother calling the system a "disgrace".

A Dunedin brain haemorrhage survivor is questioning cuts to the specialist rehabilitation service he describes as on par with the best in the world.

Bed numbers and nursing staff at Wakari Hospital's specialist rehabilitation service (Isis) will be cut to deal with a funding shortfall, a Southern District Health Board staff consultation document says.

A new medium-secure regional intellectual disability unit being built at Wakari Hospital is expected to have its first patients by the end of this year.

The move of Dunedin Hospital's acute mental-health ward to Wakari Hospital has been delayed until late January.

No decisions have been made about any changes to the ISIS rehabilitation service at Wakari Hospital, but "some issues" are under consideration by staff, Southern District Health Board's mental health and community services general manager Elaine Chisnall says.

Work on the new $3.6 million acute mental health ward at Wakari Hospital is about a third of the way through and on target to be completed at the end of September.

About 5000 towels a year are disappearing from Dunedin and Wakari Hospitals, contributing to replacement linen costs of about $60,000 a year.

Building work is yet to start on the $24.4 million upgrade of Dunedin and Wakari hospital facilities because the Minister of Health has not approved the Southern District Health Board budget for this year.