NHS chief backs tax to help problem gamblers
The first NHS gambling clinic for children will open in September as part of a new network of services for addicts being rolled out as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Up to 14 new NHS clinics are being opened – starting with the NHS Northern Gambling Service in Leeds, followed by Manchester and Sunderland. All will offer face-to-face and online help.
The services will see psychiatrists and clinical psychologists working with patients whose lives are being wrecked by severe or complex issues with gambling.
The move comes amid growing concern that problem gambling is being fuelled by online gaming sites and targeted adverts, NHS England say. Hundreds of thousands of people in England have a serious problem with gambling, with an additional two million at risk of developing a disorder.
The number of children classed as having a gambling problem is 55,000, according to the Gambling Commission. The Commission also found that 450,000 are gambling regularly, more than those who have taken drugs, drunk alcohol or smoked.
The National Problem Gambling Clinic in London will also offer specialist help for children and young people aged 13 to 25 as part of an expansion which will also improve treatment for adults.
Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, founder and director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic and the Royal College of Psychiatrists' spokesperson on behavioural addictions, said: "Gambling disorder is a destructive condition which doesn't discriminate. It wrecks lives, pulls families into debt and can leave people feeling suicidal. The National Problem Gambling Clinic in London has been leading the fight against gambling addiction and the NHS Long Term Plan expansion will make a big difference."
Once referred to a clinic, psychiatrists and clinical psychologists will work with patients who could have a range of complex gambling related difficulties, including:
A lengthy period of problem gambling with little or no abstinence
Mental health difficulties, compulsive behaviours, risk of self-harm or substance misuse
Developmental disorders such as ADHD, ASD or difficulties with cognitive or intellectual functioning
Adverse experiences in childhood that might underlie the gambling problem
NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens, said: "The links between problem gambling and stress, depression and mental health problems are growing and there are too many stories of lives lost and families destroyed. This action shows just how seriously the NHS takes the threat of gambling addiction, even in young people, but we need to be clear – tackling mental ill health caused by addiction is everyone's responsibility – especially those firms that directly contribute to the problem. This is an industry that splashes £1.5 billion on marketing and advertising campaigns, much of it now pumped out online and through social media, but it has been spending just a fraction of that helping customers and their families deal with the direct consequences of addiction.
"The sums just don't add up and that is why as well as voluntary action it makes sense to hold open the possibility of a mandatory levy if experience shows that's what's needed. A levy to fund evidence-based NHS treatment, research and education can substantially increase the money available, so that taxpayers and the NHS are not left to pick up a huge tab."
The development of new clinics should give people with gambling problems, faster access to specialist, evidence-based services.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England's national director for mental health said: "This has the potential to be a major turning point and it is all about making sure the NHS does everything it can to help people of all ages, who are seriously addicted to gambling. There is already a big push to transform mental health services across the board for children and young people and the specific focus on gambling related addiction is the logical next step, particularly given the explosion of online gambling."
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