WHAT IS IRIS? The health service plays an integral role in addressing the issue of and transforming responses to domestic violence and abuse (DVA). The IRIS (Identification and Referral to Improve Safety) programme is a training, referral and advocacy model to support clinicians to better support their patients affected by DVA and to increase the awareness of domestic violence and abuse within general practice. IRIS provides specialist DVA training to clinical professionals, alongside administration staff, within local GP surgeries. Our training supports clinicians to recognise and respond to patients affected by DVA, and provides a direct referral route to a named advocate in a local, specialist DVA service. BEHIND EVERY IRIS REFERRAL IS A WOMAN BEING PROVIDED WITH VALIDATION OF HER EXPERIENCES AND A SAFE SPACE TO ARTICULATE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HER "Fabulous training. 33 years in nursing and it has never been covered before re health issues and DVA. Thank you. IRIS Trained Clinician "I am so glad I have been on this training: Life Changing" IRIS Trained Clinician THIS PROGRAMME IS BASED ON THE SUCCESS OF A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. IRIS IS THE BEST PRACTICE FOR A HEALTHCARE RESPONSE TO DVA. W W W . I R I S I . O R G For more information please visit our website, and get in touch with the team if you have any questions. http://irisi.org 80% OF WOMEN IN A VIOLENT RELATIONSHIP SEEK HELP FROM HEALTH SERVICES AT LEAST ONCE (USUALLY GENERAL PRACTICE) AND THIS MAY BE THEIR FIRST AND ONLY CONTACT WITH PROFESSIONALS (Department of Health) W W W . I R I S I . O R G WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE WITHIN YOUR LOCAL AREA? The programme is predominantly funded and commissioned by health, most frequently by clinical commissioning groups. In several areas, the programme is jointly funded by the local health board together with another funder, such as the public health or the community safety team. The IRISi team will work with you to successfully implement the service in your area. IRISi will also work with specialist DVA service providers to develop a business case and source funding to deliver the IRIS programme locally. With IRISi’s support, each IRIS site recruits a local IRIS team, consisting of one or more Advocate Educators (AEs) and Clinical Leads. The local team works together in order to deliver the training and offer continued support to practices. AEs will also provide specialist DVA support to the patients referred into service. We will work with you to calculate the number of AEs needed according to the total patient population in the area. It is important that the project sits within the local DVA specialist service that can support both the overall project and the AE. IRISi’s Regional Managers provide ongoing expert advice and consultancy for the local IRIS team as well as the wider commissioning team. Informed NICE guidance Cited as best practice (by the Department of Health) Cost effective Nationally recognised Evidenced based practice WHAT ARE THE RESULTS? To March 2019, IRIS programmes have received 15,601 referrals and trained over 1,000 general practices in 39 localities in England and Wales. The result of IRIS programmes in an area is not only better-informed clinical practice, improved responses and support for patients experiencing DVA, but ultimately lives changed and saved as a result of its successful implementation. For more information please visit our website, and get in touch with the team if you have any questions. http://irisi.org