Featuring three short films for clerical staff, clinical staff and healthcare workers. See the On this page menu below.
01/07/2025
Dr Katie Wright, an Emergency Physician at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, shares a powerful insight into how Emergency Departments can play a central role in breaking cycles of violence. Drawing on her work with the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership, Katie explores how consistent information sharing (ISTV), early intervention, and cross-sector collaboration can save lives and support vulnerable families. This article highlights real challenges, practical solutions, and inspiring examples of change—from youth work in the ED to interventions that reach deep into communities. Click image to read the full article.
25/06/2025
In this episode of the ISTV Podcast, Karyn McCluskey, Jonathan Shepherd and Michael Cheetham join interviewer Saleyha Ahsan to discuss the critical issue of violence prevention in emergency medicine. They delve into the scale of the problem.
The Cardiff Model – also known as ISTV (Information Sharing to Tackle Violence) – is a pioneering, evidence-based approach that uses anonymised Emergency Department data to inform local violence prevention efforts. Developed by Professor Jonathan Shepherd, the model has led to a dramatic reduction in violence-related injuries in Cardiff and beyond. This brief and accessible explainer outlines how multi-agency collaboration, informed by ED data, can make our communities safer—saving lives, reducing crime, and delivering significant cost savings. Whether you’re a clinician, policymaker, or public health professional, this document will show the crucial role you can play in violence prevention. Click below to read more.
This document is a call to action for all Emergency Department staff to support the Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV) initiative. By becoming an ISTV Ambassador, you play a vital role in gathering anonymised data that helps identify patterns of violence and enables targeted prevention efforts in partnership with local agencies.
Find out how you can get involved, promote ISTV in your department, and access free resources to support the cause. Together, we can make our hospitals and communities safer.
Click on the image to open the full blog.
‘Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV)’ is a national programme which sets to reinvigorate the recording of data in EDs.
| A guide for clerical staff | A guide for clinical staff | A guide for all healthcare workers |
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Click to watch the Video |
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The overall aim is to help reduce serious violence – a role in which those working in EDs play a critical part.
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…’
Catch up with our previous ISTV blogs
+ Blog: May 2025ISTV Blog
14/05/2025
Read the latest blog from Adrian Boyle: Click on the image to open the full blog.
Keep up to date with ISTV through our monthly ISTV Newsletters.
+ Newsletter: May 2025ISTV Newsletter May 2025
27/05/2025
The May 2025 ISTV newsletter highlights the crucial role that Emergency Departments play in preventing serious violence through the collection and sharing of anonymised data. At a recent national learning event in London, healthcare professionals, data analysts, and violence reduction experts gathered to discuss best practices and the real-world impact of the Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV) model. With contributions from leading clinicians and government officials, the event reinforced the importance of collaborative efforts in tackling violence, supported by inspiring stories and proven results. Explore how ISTV is shaping safer communities and why it matters to every ED team.
As part of our drive to increase awareness of ISTV, we spoke to the mastermind who developed the Cardiff Model, from which ISTV was borne. Professor Jonathan Shepherd CBE developed the Cardiff Model for violence prevention to help capture data on violence-related crime that all too often goes unreported – almost three-quarters of those attending EDs having been injured in violence do not tell the police.
+ Presentations
ISTV supporting documentation: Procedures, FAQs, Factsheets, Checklists, Staff Guides
+ Documentation
Ensure you are up to date with the latest Clinical Guidelines, which impact you and your patients by clicking the link below.
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We are committed to minimising the environmental impact of its operations and developing environmentally sustainable emergency healthcare systems.
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The environment we work in, the people we work with and the support that is available to us can all contribute to happier, healthier working lives.
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