Moorfields has launched a consultation to give patients and the public a say on plans to move the hospital to a new facility in central London. The so-called Oriel proposal suggests building an innovative centre at St Pancras Hospital bringing together excellent eye care, ground-breaking research and world-leading education in ophthalmology on one site.
The proposal is a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity. It would see Moorfields Eye Hospital move its City Road services to the St Pancras Hospital site in Camden, where a new integrated facility housing the three partners would be built.
Following feedback from patients, extensive research and a detailed appraisal of options the partners say they want to create a new centre that will bring clinicians and scientists closer together to exploit developments in care and research for the benefit of patients.
This cannot be done effectively at Moorfields’ City Road site which was built over a century ago, they said. They added feedback from patients and carers is consistently very positive about clinical care, but some find City Road confusing to navigate, crowded and not suitable for wheelchair users.
Almost 10% of all UK NHS hospital appointments are for eyes, and the problem is set to worsen. By 2050 it’s estimated that four million people in the UK will be living with sight loss because of an ageing population and rising incidence of diseases like diabetes and obesity.
