Concerns about the capacity to meet patient demands were raised by Dr Matt Gaskell, Head of the NHS Northern Gambling Service, and Claire Murdoch, the National Director for NHS Mental Health Services.
As noted, gambling addiction referrals “have risen by 130%, with almost 2,000 people referred between April and September 2023 compared to just over 800 in the same period in 2022.”
Expanding dedicated services for the treatment of gambling harms, the NHS has doubled the number of problem gambling clinics in England, totalling 15, offering support from trained psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and peer support teams.
Specialist clinics are now located in Sheffield, London, Milton Keynes, Thurrock, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Preston, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, an..