Second UK Game Treatment Clinic to serve Leeds and North England

A new specialist clinic for the treatment of gambling addiction and other problems related to the game is should open in Leeds this summer. The new center, which will be the first to open outside London, will serve the north of England and will operate with a annual grant of £ 1.2 million GambleAware, an independent charity support game.

the NHS Northern Gambling Clinic will be the second game processing facility in the country and should serve hundreds of people in the north who are struggling with gambling disorder and other problems. At present, the NHS National Gambling Clinic in London has a team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists who provide support and treatment to patients. people aged 16 and over who have been diagnosed with a kind of game disorder. Although it is available to problem gamblers from all over England and Wales, the majority of its patients come from London.

The purpose of the new facility is to focus on the north of the country, and particularly on Leeds, where a 2013 study by Leeds Beckett University estimated that there were about 10,000 people with pathological gambling behavior. A July 2016 report from the University for Leeds City Council identifies insufficient levels of support services for people at risk of gambling-related harm. According to the report, the city has various gaming opportunities offering a mix of leisure, social and public gaming activities. At the same time, the provision of support and treatment services to problem gamblers is fragmented and underdeveloped.

As reported by Casino Guardian in January, the government announced a plan to increase funding for problem gambling prevention and processing of £ 20.5 million. In its new strategy, it reveals that although nearly 400,000 Britons are identified as problem gamblers, another 2 million individuals are considered at risk. Yet only a small percentage of them ask for help.

The new Leeds-based specialty facility will be operated jointly by the Leeds-York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the GamCare Gambling Support Charity. L & # 39; accurate release date must still be announced, although the clinic is expected open this summer. It will offer one-to-one sessions and walk-in appointments, in cooperation with the Leeds Gambling Support Hub. In addition, it will provide faster treatment and support for problem gamblers and their families.

Need for a fast and effective treatment

People who struggle with Gambling addiction develop various pathological behaviors that often result in a wide variety of problems. This could lead to family and relationship problems, serious financial and debt problems, job losses and an increase in the crime rate, according to Matthew Gaskell, consulting psychologist at NHS Trust. That is why support must be provided not only to people with compulsive gambling disorder but also to their families.

Problematic players were found to be 15 times more likely to commit suicideaccording to a Swedish research paper published in March. The study by researchers at Lund University examined 2,000 people with gambling problems for 11 years and concluded that problem gamblers at a much higher risk of suicide compared to the general population. The findings, according to British badysts, show that a faster and more decisive action is needed regarding the treatment and prevention of gambling-related harm.

the new clinic in Leeds will be able to provide the necessary treatment to problem gamblers and their families in Leeds and the region, "said Gaskell. It will serve the regions of Hull, Sheffield, Bradford, Harrogate and York in a much more diversified way. effective approach than the existing provision of such services only in London. Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said the new center would provide easier access screening, prevention and treatment of gambling problems and described the institution as a "big step forward".