The board has been faced with a severe shortage of mental health nurses and temporarily closed eight beds in the rehabilitation ward at Wakari Hospital on April 7 to free up staff for its acute services, which are in unusually high demand.
During March, the board used 106 bed days at Ashburn Clinic for looking after acute patients.
As part of its contingency planning, the board wanted to work more closely with services outside the hospital, including seeking additional respite beds for people who needed 24-hour supervision rather than hospital-level care.
Dunedin Hospital's community day programme, which is also under threat of temporary closure, has remained open since April 7.
Mrs Chisnall said the day programme would be part of the evaluation.
Chief nursing officer Teresa Bradfield, in a report to this week's hospital advisory committee meeting, advised that six registered nurses from the United Kingdom had accepted mental health nursing positions and would begin work later in the year.
