The opening of Ninewells had a major impact upon Dundee's existing hospitals. Dundee Royal Infirmary, which had opened in 1798 and moved to larger premises in the 1850s, had been Dundee's main hospital until the opening of Ninewells. From 1974 many of its functions and responsibilities were transferred to Ninewells and the infirmary ultimately closed in 1998. Maryfield Hospital, which had formerly been the East Poorhouse, was closed to patients in stages between 1974 and 1976 as a result of the opening of Ninewells. In the 1990s and 2000s many functions of the city's King's Cross Hospital were also transferred to Ninewells. In 2001 a new psychiatric unit opened in the grounds of the hospital taking over some of the functions of Royal Dundee Liff Hospital.