NHS Tayside has moved to allay fears over the future of the GP ward at Montrose Royal Infirmary at least in the short term.
It will be up to four weeks before the ward reopens, following the failure of heating and water systems in April.
Its maternity unit reopened for some appointments on Monday but the GP ward has yet to reopen.
A demand for answers on Montrose Infirmary has been backed by a 400-name petition calling for “no more excuses” as anxious nurses await assurances over their future.
A meeting has been held over their concerns, attended by GPs from all three practices in Montrose.
Dr Michelle Watts and Bill Nicol attended, along with other nursing staff representatives.
A spokeswoman for the GP practices said there was some “good news” but the ward’s long-term future is still in doubt.
Dr Kristien Hintjens said: “We have been assured by Bill Nicol, of NHS Tayside, that the GP beds will be reopened some time in the next four weeks. This is obviously good news.
“It will also allow the maternity team to have a return of full 24-hour services, as they will have the necessary back-up nursing colleagues in the building overnight.”
Although the GP wards in Montrose Royal Infirmary will reopen in the near future, the GPs have been advised that this does not guarantee their long-term place in offering community care for Montrose patients.
Both the GPs and the health board’s representatives acknowledged the sickness absence caused to the nursing team by their disrupted and varying shift allocations, and by the uncertainty of the situation.
The Courier met a large group of nursing staff, based in Montrose, who said “silence is speaking volumes” over the ward and patients may be feeling the difference in their care.
Nurse director Margaret McGuire said the maternity unit will reopen fully for births today.
“I know this is welcome news for local women and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the midwifery team for all their hard work over the past few weeks and also to thank the local community for their patience and support,” she added.
Medical director Dr Andrew Russell said: “I am pleased to announce that it is our intention to reopen Montrose Infirmary GP unit within the next four weeks.
“In fact, some ward staff will be in the unit from next week onwards to start to recommission the unit and prepare for the admission of patients.
“Environmentally we have been dealing with quite complex issues in a number of systems, including the water, heating and filtration systems and, therefore, we would like to have the community maternity unit at the infirmary up and running 24/7 for a couple of weeks to ensure the resilience of the environment before we start readmitting inpatients into the GP unit.”