Otago District Health Board group manager of mental health and community services Elaine Chisnall said this change was a result of a review of the contingency plan introduced in April as the Dunedin and Wakari hospitals struggled with overflowing acute wards and a severe shortage of mental health nurses.
The community day programmes, which were under temporary threat by the original plan, would also continue operating, but in a modified manner.
Management was looking at moving two staff working there to assist with short-term gaps in acute wards 1A at Dunedin Hospital and 9B at Wakari, Ms Chisnall said.
Ten registered nurses had been appointed and would begin working in the acute wards in the next two to five months, and the board was still trying to recruit more staff.
Changes to the community mental health service, which increased evening nursing and support worker cover, would also continue for another three months.
That had been working well, providing extra support for people in the community to help prevent them from becoming acute patients.
Ms Chisnall said it was expected some staff who had moved to the acute wards would want to return to their former positions, but some had also indicated they wished to stay in the acute wards permanently.
Demand for acute services, which had been uncharacteristically high for some months before the contingency plan was introduced, had dropped off for a few weeks, but appeared to be increasing again.
The situation would continue to be reviewed and management was holding regular meetings with unions, she said.
The services were also working closely with other mental health organisations in the community.
Public Service Association organiser Julie Morton said she was concerned that news of beds reopening in Wakari's Ward 11 from July 7 had been announced before negotiations over staffing to allow that had been completed.
It was not clear how day programmes were going to work.
She and New Zealand Nurses Organisation organiser Lorraine Lobb both commented that it would take much longer than three months to solve the staffing shortage which had led to the introduction of the contingency plan.
Ms Lobb had said after the contingency plan was announced in March that the risk of an adverse event occurring in the hospital's mental health service had been high for at least six monthsStaff had put up their hands and had done what needed to be done to implement the plan, she said.
She felt there had been some improvement with communication.
Regular meetings were being held with management and she was able to call at any time and get a response to any questions.
"At least we have it on record that the issue is being managed. There is a plan. Before, there wasn't," Ms Lobb said.
