19 February 2022
The NHS will stop taking cash from the betting market to deal with individuals with addiction, the NHS England nationwide psychological health director has actually stated.
Writing to charity GambleAware, Claire Murdoch said the yohaig code NHS would rather fund its own gaming services from 1 April.
The gaming industry paid ₤ 16m to GambleAware between April and December to assist fund treatment services.
Of this promotion code, ₤ 1.2 m was awarded in grants to NHS-run betting centers.
But Ms Murdoch said patients were uncomfortable about using services spent for by the gaming industry - and she said that had actually "heavily influenced" her choice to decline future financing from GambleAware.
She stated industry funding "has permitted us to present treatment services much faster than would have otherwise been possible", however there was a desire to move the funding into basic NHS funding.
"Additionally, our clinicians feel there are conflicts of interest in their centers being part-funded by resources from the gambling market," Ms Murdoch composed.
It comes less than a year after Ms Murdoch informed the Guardian, external that gambling firms need to be hit with a mandatory levy to fund treatment, as the NHS had been left to "choose up the pieces".
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In her most current letter to GambleAware, she said the health service can not deal with the "damages" brought by betting alone, and neither is it the NHS's "job" to do so.
Ms Murdoch stated the NHS would continue to work carefully with GambleAware to establish a treatment system that is "healthy for purpose".
Last year, the total voluntary promises to GambleAware consisted of ₤ 1m from William Hill, ₤ 4m from Entain and just over ₤ 4m from Bet365.
As well as the NHS treatment centres, that cash is utilized to money the 24-hour National Gambling Helpline.
The NHS is facing increasing demand to help problem gamblers.
Two brand-new gambling dependency clinics will open in Southampton and Stoke from May, bringing the variety of specialist centers in England to 7.
According to NHS England, between April and December last year, 668 individuals with the most severe gambling dependency issues were referred to NHS expert centers.
That is a 16.2% increase from 575 during the very same period in 2020.
The gambling industry makes profits of more than ₤ 14bn a year in the UK.
A representative for the Betting and Gaming Council stated the wagering industry has actually been a "bulk funder" of research, education and treatment for gambling damage for more than 20 years.
It is estimated that around 246,000 people - about 0.5% of the UK adult population - are likely to have some kind of betting addiction, with 2.2 million at danger.
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