delayed National Audit Office report into the government's handling of the Royal Liverpool and Midland Metropolitan University Hospitals was published in January 2020. The report warned of possible further significant cost increases, particularly to rectify the badly-built Liverpool project, and blamed Carillion for pricing the jobs too low to meet specifications. The two projects were expected to cost more than 40% more than their original budgets, and to be completed between three and five years late. However, due to effective risk transfer to the contractor, the total cost to the taxpayer would be very similar to the original plan. Part of the new hospital was opened early in May 2020 to provide additional critical care capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In June 2022, the NHS Trust said the hospital was scheduled to open in September or October 2022. The NHS Trust took partial possession of the new building on 11 July, with a 24-day moving-in period set to run from 28 September to 21 October 2022. In October 2022, the trust said that the old hospital building would permanently close at 23:59 on 19 October 2022 with the A&E department at the new site taking their first patients from 00:00 on 20 October 2022. The old hospital had 685 beds. The new hospital has 640 beds and there are 21 ‘transfer of care’ beds opening at the nearby Broadgreen Hospital site, with a further 10 beds in the community - a net reduction of 14 beds. Rating In 2007, the Healthcare Commission rated Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust "Good" for 'Quality of Services' and Good for 'Use of Resources'. In 2009, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust was rated "Excellent" for the quality of its services and the quality of its financial management. Teaching and research The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is a major teaching and research hospital for student doctors, nurses, dentists and allied health professionals. The hospital works with the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. See also List of hospitals in England Knowledge Quarter, Liverpool Healthcare in Merseyside References External links Hospitals in Liverpool Hospital buildings completed in 1978 NHS hospitals in England Teaching hospitals in England University of Liverpool Brutalist architecture in Liverpool