Timothy Visits the Moorfields Eye Hospital
23rd February, 2023
Celebrating our 60th anniversary: patient information, engagement and education then and now.
The Friends of Moorfields’ original constitution, dating from our founding in 1963, sets out an objective to “provide a link between the Hospital and those whom it serves.”
Early in our history, one way we achieved this was by producing a booklet called “Timothy Visits the Moorfields Eye Hospital”. A combination of entertainment and reassuring information, the booklet tells the story of a boy who visits Moorfields for eye surgery.
Young patients could follow Timothy as he arrived at Moorfields, saw a doctor, stayed overnight in the children’s ward, went into surgery, and recovered, helping them understand what to expect from their own visit. The booklet was also fully illustrated in black and white, ready to be coloured in by bored children on the ward!
Both the Friends and Moorfields itself have gone through some changes since then. Today’s young patients attend the Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre, a dedicated children’s hospital based on the same site as our main hospital at City Road.
Timothy’s colouring book has long since gone out of print, but the Friends of Moorfields continue to support young patients by paying the salaries of 2.5 Play Specialists, who help make sure young patients feel at ease and understand what their appointments will involve. We have also funded televisions, toys and activities to keep children engaged while waiting.
Our aim to “provide a link between the Hospital and those whom it serves” has evolved over time into our current strategic objective of “supporting Moorfields Eye Hospital in the delivery of patient information, engagement and education.” Since 2017, we have managed the Health Information Hub at Moorfields City Road. With two dedicated staff members and a team of specially trained volunteers, the Hub provides emotional and practical support to patients of all ages – from leaflets explaining specific eye conditions to advice on getting access to the right services and benefits, and help getting to grips with assistive technology.
60 years on, the type of information and support we provide has changed, but the overall goal hasn’t – we’re still working to help make sure that everyone who comes to Moorfields, for whatever reason, has the best possible experience.
If you would like to share your own memories of the Friends of Moorfields, we’d love to hear them! Drop us an email, give us a call or send us a message using our contact form.
Many thanks to Richard Keeler for the loan of two copies of Timothy Visits the Moorfields Eye Hospital.