London, 20 June 2023: GambleAware is the leading charity and strategic commissioner working to keep people safe from gambling harm in Great Britain. As a commissioner, the charity delivers prevention and treatment services for gambling harms, including the National Gambling Support Network. As part of this, GambleAware works with and alongside other voluntary sector organisations, as well as the NHS, to ensure people are able to access the services they need.
In recognition of this important partnership the National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms for NHS England, Prof. Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE has said:
“The Statutory Levy agreed in the recent Gambling White Paper has the potential to finally ensure the independence of funding for treatment and research programmes, as well as for prevention initiatives to address gambling harms.
“It must be implemented without delay in order for fully integrated treatment pathways to be established.
“In the interim period until the levy is distributed, the NHS has a commitment to continue the longstanding and constructive work with GambleAware to ensure that all patients in need of gambling treatment are accessing the service that they need.
“The NHS has no wish to be the sole provider of all gambling treatment at national level, on the contrary it is committed to working with non-statutory providers of gambling treatment across the country."
Welcoming this statement from NHS England, GambleAware’s CEO, Zoë Osmond, said:
“This statement from NHS England confirms the positive and constructive working relationship between the NHS and GambleAware. In our role as leading charity and strategic commissioner, partnership with those across the healthcare sector is vital. Through our commissioning of the National Gambling Support Network, we look forward to continuing to work closely with the NHS to ensure people are able to seamlessly access the services they need.
“Gambling is a serious public health issue which can affect anyone. As commissioner, we work closely with DCMS, DHSC, OHID, the Gambling Commission and NHS England to ensure efficient and effective service delivery across the country.
“We welcome the introduction of a statutory levy on the industry to provide certainty and stability of funding, which will allow us and others to make long-term commitments to meet the needs of the population.”
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