LONDON—Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has successfully bid for government funding to support Oriel, a proposal to design, build and operate a new, integrated eyecare research and education facility, according to an announcement by the hospital late last week. Moorfields has managed to secure nearly £20 million of funding as part of the Department of Health & Social Care’s major investment in the long-term future of the NHS, the announcement noted. Oriel will relocate all services from Moorfields Eye Hospital on City Road and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology on Bath Street to the new facility at its preferred site at St. Pancras Hospital, the announcement noted.

“We're very pleased that we have been successful with our bid,” David Probert, chief executive officer for Moorfields Eye Hospital, said in the announcement. “This is fantastic news and is a really exciting opportunity for us and our plans to design, build and operate a new, integrated eyecare, research and education facility with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.”

He added, “We're very proud of the role we play with UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology in leading ophthalmic services in London, the U.K. and abroad, and we look forward to continuing this role in a new state of the art facility.”

The news “comes swiftly after Moorfields hosted a series of exhibitions showcasing preliminary designs for Oriel last month,” according to the announcement. Five short-listed teams displayed their proposed designs for Oriel in the hope of being selected to design this new, innovative center of excellence.

An evaluation panel is now reviewing the designs and will select the preferred team, who will design the new building in close collaboration with the Oriel team, staff and patients. The winning team will be announced in early next year, the announcement stated.

In addition, the Oriel team is seeking the public’s views and feedback in a series of surveys on accessibility and transport, referrals and waiting and, overall, what matters to patients when visiting Moorfields. The information will be used to shape Oriel priorities, the announcement noted.

The hospital also said that the Oriel page on the Moorfields website will host the surveys, which are open until Dec. 31.