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 Welcome to the News desk.
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Healthcare professionals to ask people about gambling at
health
checks and GP appointments |
25/03/25 |
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 Editor |
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| • The recommendation is included in the first clinical guideline on
gambling-related harms by NICE: identification, assessment and management. |
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Healthcare professionals should consider asking people about gambling when speaking to them about
smoking and alcohol consumption during a health check or GP appointment, new guidance recommends.
The recommendation is included in their first clinical
guideline on gambling-related harms: identification, assessment and
management, published (Tuesday, 28 January).
‘Gambling-related harms’ is the term used to describe the negative impacts of gambling on the
health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and society. These harms affect people’s finances, relationships and health (particularly
mental health).
The new guideline advises healthcare professionals and social service workers to ask about gambling in various situations. This includes
appointments related to depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or potential addictions such as alcohol or drug dependence. These groups may be at
higher risk of gambling-related harm. NICE recommends identifying these risks as early as possible.
Young people leaving home for the first time and patients with mental health problems should be asked about their gambling habits when they visit the
GP, health leaders have said. People who have problems with gambling should be identified “as early as possible” and offered support, according to
new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).
People may also be at increased risk of gambling-related harm for
several other reasons, including if they are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). Taking medication that may affect impulse control, experiencing safeguarding issues or violence or a family history of gambling that harms
could also increase a person’s level of risk.
People should be encouraged to assess the severity of their gambling-related harms by completing a
questionnaire available on the NHS website. This is based on the
Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a standardised measure for at-risk behaviour. A score of 8 or above indicates that they should seek support and
treatment from a specialist gambling treatment service, while those with lower scores may also benefit from available support.
Healthcare professionals
and social care practitioners must recognise and take action to ensure that stigma, shame, and fear of disclosure does not prevent people experiencing
gambling-related harms from seeking and accessing support and treatment.
It recommends using a tailored approach to meet the needs of each person,
which could include providing them with access to vocation-specific services, such as veterans’ groups, or that take account of their ethnic background
and religion. Treatments for gambling-related harms should also be provided in separate locations from services for alcohol or substance dependence.
The guidance recommends healthcare professionals consider involving a partner, family member or other person close to the person experiencing
gambling-related harms in their treatment, if that is what they both want.
National Clinical Director for Primary Care, Dr Claire Fuller, said,
“We welcome NICE’s decision as gambling can have a massive impact on people’s lives and the lives of the people that care for them, and as
healthcare professionals, we need the right tools to help tackle gambling-related harms.
“Over the past few years, the NHS has made significant
progress in expanding treatment for gambling addiction with the rollout of 15 specialist clinics across the country. So, if you’re worried about your
gambling, there is support available, and you can directly refer yourself to your local NHS gambling clinic.”
Minister for Gambling Baroness
Twycross said, "We welcome this guidance from NICE on identifying, assessing, and managing gambling-related harms, which will support those experiencing
harmful gambling to get access to the right support.
"The Government's plans to introduce a statutory levy, which will generate £100 million each
year, will provide the investment needed to further expand the support and treatment on offer for those in need."
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain
(2023), which collects data from 20,000 respondents each year, reported that 2.5% of the survey population aged 18 years and older living in Great Britain
participate in ‘problem gambling’ (defined as a PGSI score of 8 or more), with an additional 12% of the survey population participating in gambling
with an elevated risk of harm (PGSI score 1 to 7). Overall, 2.8% of participants who had gambled in the past 12 months reported experiencing at least one
severe consequence, such as the breakdown of a relationship. Rates were higher among male participants and were also higher among younger adults (those aged 18
to 34) than older adults (those aged 55 and over).
NHS England has opened 15 gambling clinics across the country since 2019 – seven of which
opened in 2024.
These clinics are expected to see 3,000 people a year. All specialist clinics are fully NHS-commissioned and funded.
As set out
in government’s
response to the consultation on the structure, distribution and governance of the statutory levy on gambling operators, published in November
2024, the new statutory levy will provide a significant increase in investment for support and treatment services for gambling-related harm.
We are
working closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England to support the
implementation of the guideline and has published an implementation statement on
the guideline.
Read the full gambling-related harms:
identification, assessment and management clinical guideline. |
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