NHS England plans new gambling clinics
The public health body plans to increase the number of gambling addiction clinics due to “record demand”.
UK.- The public health operator NHS England is to increase the number of gambling addiction clinics it runs from eight to 15 due to “record demand” for its services. The new clinics will be located in Blackpool, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Thurrock in Essex.
They join existing gambling addiction clinics in Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford. Together the clinics will have the capacity for up to 3,000 patients nationwide.
The news comes on the back of new figures about the number of patients referred to gambling support services. The NHS says 1,389 people were referred for help last year, a rise of around a third from the year before and of 8 per cent from two years ago.
NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard said: “Record numbers of people are coming to the NHS for help to treat their gambling addiction, a cruel disease which has the power to destroy people’s lives.”
Today (July 5) marks the 75th anniversary of the NHS, and Pritchard said the news of the new clinics showed that the service was “adapting to new healthcare needs”.
She said: “In 1948 when the NHS was founded, you had to go to a bookies to place a bet, but now people can gamble on their phone at the touch of a button and everyone, young and old, is bombarded with adverts encouraging them to take part.
“As it has done since 1948, the NHS is responding at speed and rolling out seven new gambling harms clinics across England, so that even more people can be supported by the NHS in their time of need.”
The NHS’s gambling harm clinics provide treatment for people with addiction issues using cognitive behavioural therapy and family therapy, support groups and aftercare. They are staffed by therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses and peer support workers.
NHS mental health director Claire Murdoch said: “Addiction is a cruel disease that can take over and ruin lives, whether it be destroying finances or ruining relationships, but the NHS is here to help, so if you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction please come forward.
“Although progress has been made on clamping down on this billion-pound industry with the government’s white paper, I hope further action can be taken to protect our young people and future generations from being bombarded by gambling advertisements while watching sport.”
Plans for statutory levy on gambling operators
Meanwhile, the NHS has backed proposals made in the UK gambling white paper for the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, education and treatment services. Operators currently make voluntary contributions.
The government has not yet proposed a figure for the levy, but it’s widely expected to be around 1 per cent of revenue, which is what the largest operators have currently pledged to voluntarily donate.
