NHS severs financial ties with GambleAware over links to gambling industry
National mental health director confirms that the NHS will fund nationwide gambling clinics and services from April
The NHS has announced the axing of its “dual commissioning and funding arrangement” with gambling harm treatment charity GambleAware.
In an open letter written to Zoë Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, national mental health director Claire Murdoch confirmed the NHS would stop using GambleAware funding for specialist clinics across the UK.
This change will come into effect from 1 April 2022.
Murdoch insisted the decision was “heavily influenced by patients who have previously expressed concern about using services paid for directly by industry”.
Another reason for this decision is that NHS clinicians felt there was a conflict of interest in their clinics being part-funded by resources from the gambling industry.
Earlier this month it was revealed GambleAware received £16m in donations from April to December 2021, with the highest donor being bet365 with a £4.2m contribution. GambleAware asks operators to donate at least 0.1% of gross gambling yield (revenue).
The national mental health director said cutting financial ties with GambleAware was to move the funding for problem gambling treatment into general NHS funding, “as is the standard for similar services”.
Despite the termination of funding, Murdoch said the NHS is still keen to continue a constructive operational relationship with GambleAware and continue to work together with GambleAware to develop “a treatment system that is fit for purpose”.
The “dual commissioning and funding arrangement” with GambleAware since 2019 has seen £1.2bn poured into the National Gambling Treatment service, which runs five clinics across the UK.
These clinics, including two new facilities in Stoke-on-Trent and Southampton, are to be funded entirely by the health service, as part of a £2.3bn increase in mental health spending authorised by the government.
According to NHS England, between April and December 2021, 668 people were referred to the NHS specialist clinics with the most severe gambling addiction issues. This was a 16.2% increase from 575 during the same period in 2020.
In the letter, Murdoch said that the NHS would like to see the industry take firm action so that people do not need to seek help from the NHS.
She said hoped that GambleAware would continue to join the NHS in calling for the gambling industry to be “more heavily regulated and taxed to generate public funding to address gambling harms”.
In response to the open letter, Osmond said in a statement: “There may be up to 2.9 million people in Great Britain at risk of gambling harm and we welcome NHS England’s commitment to open two new NHS funded gambling harm treatment clinics.
“Gambling is a serious public health issue which requires a collaborative approach, involving the third sector and the NHS within a coherent system of care. We look forward to continuing to work with NHSE and supporting them to provide an integrated solution to preventing and treating gambling harm.
“GambleAware is the leading charity driving transformation and prevention services and leading public health campaigns, working to deliver against our vision to keep people safe from gambling harms.
“The charity has robust governance processes in place to ensure the gambling industry has absolutely no influence over any of our work. We are also accountable to the Charity Commission and the Gambling Commission, which fully endorses the charity’s activity and governance structure, while working to deliver the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.”