A Clinician’s View – Dr Ben Bloom on ISTV and Violence Reduction
11/08/2025
In this thought-provoking piece, Dr Ben Bloom, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Royal London Hospital, shares his insights into the Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV) / Cardiff Model. He reflects on the real-world benefits already seen in UK cities, the challenges that prevent wider adoption, and how this approach can reduce pressures on emergency departments. With his experience as Clinical Co-Lead for ECDS and Senior Lecturer at QMUL, Dr Bloom offers a clinician’s perspective on how frontline data can drive public health improvements and reduce violence.
Preventing serious violence using ED data
Your hospital. Your community. The part you play.
‘Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV)’ is a national programme which sets to reinvigorate the recording of data in EDs.
The overall aim is to help reduce serious violence – a role in which those working in EDs play a critical part.
- When we know where and how people are injured, up to one-third of injuries from violence can be prevented
- Research shows violence-related injuries treated in the ED decreases by up to one-third when data is collated effectively
- Information is shared anonymously with community safety partnership teams with the aim to prevent violence-related injuries, especially knife and gang related assaults.
We are asking all EDs to read and adopt the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Three short films have been produced to help those inputting data to show why their support is important, how they can make a difference and the detail that will help form the bigger picture. Please also see Documentation below.
NHS Poster for hospital waiting areas ‘We need your help to make our communities safer…’
ISTV introductory videos
The Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit – Rachel Jenner
ISTV in London – Adam Woodgate
The Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention – Jonathan Shepherd
The Serious Violence Duty – Laura Baynton and Neil Round
Violence Prevention Data Sharing and the ED – Katie Wright
Violence Reduction Data in the ED – Michael Cheetham