Medical illustration is a ‘clinical’ service

Abstract

The Medical Illustration Service within West Glasgow Hospitals University NHS Trust found itself under threat of being classified as a non-clinical service. This came to light when the Trust asked the Head of Department to provide non-clinical output specifications for use in a Private Finance Initiative for the proposed new Western Infirmary project. However as the author believed that Medical Illustration was a ‘Clinical Service’, evidence was submitted to the Trust to justify this point of view in the form of a Clinical Functional Specification. This paper presents the arguments for a clinical functional specification for a medical illustration service, using as an example the specification which was prepared for the new Western Infirmary project. The view point of the author is supported by evidence from an extensive literature search.