Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital
Supporting patients who are having eye surgery under local anaesthetic
Patients attending hospital for eye treatments often suffer from high levels of anxiety and stress related to sight loss or the risk of it. According to a report in 2022 from Sight Scotland, 85% of survey respondents said sight loss had an impact on their emotional wellbeing.
Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital wanted to help patients to have a less stressful experience while also contributing to a smooth operation at the hospital.
It has 50 volunteers who support patients who are undergoing a procedure under local anesthetic. They talk to patients as they wait and then accompany them into the operating theatre and, if required, hold their hand throughout the operation.
The charity started the project with 10 volunteers in 2019, but it stopped six months into the project when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. But feedback from the project showed that nearly all of the patients who had volunteer support said it helped to reduce their anxiety and improved their mood. So the charity reintroduced the project in 2022.
It provides its service at Moorfields clinics in Ealing, Northwick Park, Bedford, Croydon, Potters Bar, Stratford and St George’s in Tooting, as well as the main Moorfields site, Moorfields City Road.
More than 4,000 patients have been supported since the project started. In its most recent evaluation report in October 2024, 95% of patients who used the handholding service either agreed or strongly agreed that the volunteer helped them to feel less anxious.
The charity supports around 2,500 patients annually. It has also inspired the Western Eye Hospital in west London and the Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, to set up their own handholding services.
Charity Awards judge Priya Singh, executive director at the Society for Assistance of Medical Families, said that allowing volunteers into theatre was a remarkable achievement, and the service was “incredibly impactful” for the patients. “The way they managed to get others in the pipeline of the operation to understand what it meant to the patient, was amazing,” she said.
André Clarke, director of charity development at Lloyds Bank Foundation, added that the service provided by the volunteers allows clinicians to focus on the job at hand, knowing that the pastoral element of patient engagement is taken care of.
CC Reg. no. 1161546
