A cancer ward damaged by fire at Swansea's Singleton Hospital in March won't open before the end of December.
Health board chiefs have decided to remove asbestos from the ceiling voids in Ward 12 while also completing fire damage repairs.
They had originally hoped to reopen the ward within three months of the incident.
The ongoing work was highlighted by Swansea Bay University Health Board chief executive Tracy Myhill in a report, which said the loss of beds had exacerbated a "very challenging" unscheduled care situation.
She said the fire, which happened on the night of Sunday, March 24, closed 10 oncology beds. That rose to 31 beds in August when further issues were identified at the ward.
The health board's director of strategy, Sian Harrop-Griffiths, said this week: "We are working closely with the contractors to complete the work on Ward 12 as soon as possible.
"We expect it to be back in use by the end of December.
"Singleton Hospital is typical of buildings built in the 1960s in having asbestos in its ceiling voids.
"As repair work was already being undertaken in Ward 12, we are taking the opportunity to remove the asbestos from the ceiling voids at the same time."
She added: "This has been closely monitored, and daily air testing has come back completely clear."
Ward staff who ensured the safety of patients during and after the fire were honoured for their actions earlier this summer.
Former board chairman, Professor Andrew Davies, said their efforts prevented more serious consequences.
The cause of the fire was not disclosed, but a joint investigation by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the health board deemed that no further action was required.
Patients who would normally be treated in Ward 12 have been looked after in Ward 20.
The health board, which runs hospitals in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot , has maintained "winter surge" capacity to deal with demand.
Attendances at Morriston Hospital and Neath Port Talbot minor injury unit in August were 6% and 10% higher, respectively, than August 2018.
