What we do

Our award-winning Medical Illustration Department provides a comprehensive range of photographic, graphic and multimedia services to healthcare professionals.

We are based in the Horton Wing at St Luke’s Hospital, although we also provide services at Bradford Royal Infirmary and the Bradford Macula Centre.

Who are our customers?

We are funded by the Trust as a clinical support service to medical staff, healthcare professionals and senior managers within Bradford Teaching Hospitals, as well as undertaking a limited amount of income-generating work for GPs, external organisations and private customers.

We are part of the healthcare team and provide clinical illustrative material for the benefit of patients, teaching and display material, patient information literature, corporate communication material and a wide range of other applications for health professionals. We work for every clinical specialty.

All of our staff are highly experienced and here to help. Our work is varied but can loosely be divided into two main areas of service; photography and video and graphics, although as technology develops boundaries are becoming less defined.

Photography and video

The department provides a clinical photography service to almost all clinical specialties in our purpose-built studio at St Luke’s Hospital. Our photographers also visit wards, clinics and operating theatres across the Trust.

Our clinical photographers are highly qualified individuals and all are registered medical illustrators on the Academy of Healthcare Science (AHCS) register, which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

Most are professional members of the Institute of Medical Illustration (IMI), the professional body for medical illustrators, which exists to uphold technical and ethical standards within the profession. All have undergone Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks.

The department uses equipment and techniques to provide services at the leading edge of photographic technology and has won numerous awards. Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has adopted the IMI Code of Responsible Practice and Protocols for Ethical Conduct and Legal Compliance in respect of patient consent and confidentiality.  All clinical images are uploaded to the Trust’s secure clinical image database which is accessed by clinicians.

Photographic services

Photographic services are provided to benefit patient care in the following ways:

Clinical still and video photography

Clinical photography involves the recording of patients to illustrate the different stages of a specific disease or medical condition in order to grade patients’ clinical condition for: diagnosis; record and medico-legal purposes and clinical progress. The images form a visual means of objective assessment and the work can sometimes be diagnostic, as in Ophthalmic Imaging.

Medico-legal photography

The Medical Illustration Department in Bradford offers an expert medico-legal photographic service for legal practitioners, child protection agencies, the police service and others. Our team are highly trained and qualified to produce accurate photographic records which can be used as supportive evidence in court.

Ophthalmic imaging

Ophthalmic Imaging is provided within the main Ophthalmology Department at Bradford Royal infirmary and also in the Bradford Macula Centre.
It involves the use of specialist equipment to create detailed images to support the diagnosis and treatment of a range of eye conditions. Common procedures carried out include: Fundus Photography, Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA) and Indocyanine Green Angiography (ICG), Optical Coherence Tomography and Anterior Segment Photography.

Non-clinical promotional and PR photography

The team also provide a non-clinical photography service where photography of visitors and VIPs, ceremonies and presentations is available. These images may be used for publication in newsletters and the press, or perhaps on a website to enhance your image. We can also provide photography of activity in your area and invite you to discuss your requirements with us.

Graphics and design

Graphics activity within Medical Illustration falls into three main areas; patient information, corporate information and graphics for teaching.
Art and graphics projects can be large or small ranging from the simple re-sizing of images for web use to the production of a full-colour brochure.

Our designers work closely with customers to ensure that graphics projects are attractive, fit-for-purpose, cost-effective and functional in their design. The team are experts in developing patient information and have won numerous national awards for this work. As healthcare becomes increasingly technology-driven the use of multimedia has developed as a prime source of communication.

To respond to this demand, Medical Illustration provides a comprehensive range of art and graphic services:

  • Graphic design
  • Patient information
  • Screensavers
  • Technical and anatomical illustrations for publication and teaching
  • Graphic illustrations for display and patient information literature
  • Scientific posters
  • Display and exhibition work – roll-up banners, twist exhibition panels
  • Art, design, production and printing of: leaflets, booklets, forms, manuals, brochures and folders
  • Website design and production of web-ready graphics
  • Animation
  • Printing and photocopying
  • Translation of patient information literature (via third-party providers)
  • Corporate identity design, implementation and advice regarding the NHS corporate identity
  • Multimedia
  • Preparation of computer-generated teaching material
  • Imaging of customers’ files from disc

Who we are

Contact details

Medical Illustration Department
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Horton Wing
St Luke’s Hospital
Little Horton Lane
Bradford
BD5 0NA
West Yorkshire

Patient enquiries
Telephone: 01274 365160

General enquiries
Email: medical.illustration@bthft.nhs.uk

GP enquiries
Telephone: 01274 365160
Email: medical.illustration@bthft.nhs.uk

Service manager
Anthony Dook
Email: antony.dook@bthft.nhs.uk

Accessibility

Please see the AccessAble pages on Medical Illustration at St Luke’s Hospital.

AccessAble logo

Photo gallery

Useful links

Institute of Medical Illustrators
Since 1968 the Institute of Medical Illustrators has set and maintained standards for the medical illustration profession, bringing together the disciplines of clinical photography, medical art, graphic design and videography within healthcare.

Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS)
You can search for registered Medical Illustrators on the publicly searchable register.

Patient information forum
PiF is an independent organisation that promotes high-quality information for patients, carers, and their families. We support those involved in the production and dissemination of high-quality consumer health information.

Why Do I Need To Have A Photograph Taken

Quality accreditation and service statistics

Quality accreditation

The Medical Illustration Department has the IMI Quality Assurance Standard Level II.

Service statistics

Approximately 7,500 patients are photographed each year. Lead times for non-urgent diagnostic fluorescein angiography are less than one week.
Additionally, the department undertakes a further 1,000 graphics, video and non-clinical photography projects each year.

Interested in joining our team?

Our talented and compassionate staff help care for a diverse population, which is what makes Bradford such a special place to work. Choosing the right people is key to our success. If you think you’ve got what it takes, please contact us by email at careers@bthft.nhs.uk to discover more about our latest opportunities.