The suitability of ISO 9001 as a quality system for a medical illustration department

The Medical illustration Department within Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust is typical of many such units in the UK that are facing increasing competition from the commercial sector and Private Finance Initiatives, and at the same time, being driven by NHS initiatives towards having a demonstrable quality system. It was considered that having a recognized quality management system would ensure that the service provided was more efficient and effective, improve quality, guard against competition, be an asset if the organization was benchmarked against others, and provide evidence of quality assurance to our customers. This paper summarizes the history of quality management, discusses a number of quality systems in the NHS in general, and in Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust in particular, and puts forward the reasons for choosing ISO9001. Finally, the process leading to accreditation is described.