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| Free’s ward art in peril |
Artists face an uncertain future
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Radiotherapy Mask
 Bump
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A TEAM of artists who chronicled patient life at the Royal Free
are celebrating their 30th year at the hospital.
But the Medical Illustrations Unit, which provides an essential
service for surgeons, trainee medics and recovering patients, faces
an uncertain future.
The unit was originally set up to design posters for the hospital
walls, but since then it has added many strings to its bow.
The unit, which is part funded by University College London and
the Royal Free medical school, is divided in two. The graphics team
help attract business to the hospital with colourful presentations.
Meanwhile, the clinical photography team provide a training tool
for medics, and now the technology is so good patients can take
photographs to monitor their own condition at home.
Surgeons performing plastic surgery rely on clinical photography
from the medical illustrations team in their litigation if a patient
feels their work is not up to scratch. But the 10 artists may be
under threat because the digital era has become so user-friendly.
Staff at the unit fear their service may have be seen as a luxury
and have funding removed.
Mike Samuels, head of medical illustrations, said the unit had been
forced to embrace the digital age. He said: “We’ve changed
beyond all recognition.We had to bite the bullet and take the department
into the digital age – we have moved from covering 800 patients
in 2,000 to 3,000 this year.”
But Mr Samuels, who has headed the team for eight years, fears technology
may break the unit. He said: “With the introduction of Powerpoint
and digital photography, medics are able to produce pretty good
presentations on their own and if they can get a friend to take
a photo during surgery then that saves them paying us. Our funding
is being reviewed at the moment.”
When the studio opened colour photography was still too expensive
for mass production and the development was slow, meaning most pencil
and crayon used regularly.
Keith Daley, who has worked in the Royal Free studio for 17 years,
said: “Simple life drawings can be effective to show the techniques
for particular operations.” |
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