In 2000, the Government announced that the new hospital would be a University teaching hospital and as a result, in January 2001, the NNHC NHS Trust was renamed the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust. In September 2002, a medical school with an intake of 1000 students was started as a joint venture at the NNUH with the University of East Anglia, James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust, Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust, and Norwich Primary Care Trust (Annual Accounts 2002/03, 18)
Payments by the Trust to Octagon commenced in August 2001 (Annual Accounts 2002/03, 36) and the Phase 1 Date of Completion of the hospital was 8 January 2002 (NNUHT 2003, 6) but according to the Annual Accounts of 2002/03 the first phase of the move to the new NNUH began in November 2001 with the completion of 809 beds (page 18). The Phase 2 Date of Completion was 8 November 2002 and the second phase of the move began in December 2002 (Annual Accounts 2002/03, 18). The move from the old hospitals was completed in January 2003. In February 2003, a new 36-bed surgical ward was opened (as a result of the conversion of office space), bringing the total number of beds up to 989 and in February 2004, the NNUH was opened 'officially' by the Queen (NNUH website).
According to the NNUH website (accessed in 2009), the NNUH hospital now has 987 beds compared to the 1207 beds of the two hospitals that it replaced. Thus the new hospital has 18% fewer beds than the two hospitals which it replaced.
The West Norwich Hospital is now the Norwich Community Hospital un by Norwich Primary Care Trust while the non-listed buildings on the St. Stephen's site have been demolished, the site having been sold to Persimmon for the building of the 'Fellowes Plain' residential development (NNUH website).