Oriel: creating a new centre for advancing eye health
Our vision is to create a new centre which enables Moorfields and UCL to provide world-leading eye care, research and education benefitting patients across the UK and globally. It will deliver breakthrough treatments to the front line of patient care and revolutionise eye health. Welcome to Oriel.
This joint initiative in partnership with Moorfields and UCL would see services move from current premises near Old Street, Islington to a new, integrated centre on the St Pancras Hospital site in Camden. The new centre is scheduled to open in 2027, creating an environment where researchers and clinicians can work effectively together.
Philanthropy is key to helping us make this global centre for advancing eye health a reality.
Major milestones
We’ve achieved significant milestones with Oriel being given final NHS and government approval and the contract to build Oriel awarded to Bouygues UK in February.
In July, we celebrated breaking ground to mark the start of construction to build Oriel!
This time lapse footage of demolition on the Oriel site in St Pancras, shows progress as the area is prepared for construction.
The video has an audio description and subtitles so it’s accessible for everyone. Please make sure the subtitles/closed captions feature is turned off as it will conflict with the subtitles included in the video.
Designing for the future
The building has been co-designed with patients, staff and people with sight loss. At the building’s heart, the proposal is to have a central atrium, a light-filled space called the ‘Oriel’. This is the social heart of the building which links clinical, research and education spaces.
The interior has been designed by users including people with disabilities and sight loss through innovative use of material, colour and technology.
I have been part of the Oriel project since the very beginning. I have seen the depth of consultations and engagement carried out with a diverse group of people to capture their views on all aspects relating to the project.
Bhavini Makwana, patient at Moorfields Eye Hospital, member of the Oriel patient and partner advisory groups, and engagement manager at London Vision
Our role
Philanthropy has a critical role to play in realising Oriel. In partnership with UCL, we’re committed to raising £100 million (£75 million capital and £25 million for research and education) to achieve these ambitious plans.
The campaign has raised over £45 million in capital commitments to date.
We are delighted with the support we’ve received from donors and look forward to new and continuing conversations with others interested in helping us realise our vision.
Next steps and the opening
Construction starts in 2023 alongside community engagement, donor events and an annual Oriel exhibition up until the opening in 2027.
Planning for the future, Oriel will:
- be designed with the experience of patients in mind;
- embrace new technologies to develop excellence and innovation in clinical care;
- attract and retain the world’s leading clinical, health education and research talent.
Shaped to meet the needs of patients and deliver outstanding eye care, groundbreaking research and world-leading education, Oriel will harness new technologies to help accelerate diagnoses and bring new treatments to millions of patients globally.
Supporting Oriel
To find out more about Oriel and our fundraising to realise this world-leading project, please get in touch with Rachel Jones on rachel.jones310@nhs.net or 020 7521 4610.
