24 November 2022

NHS England yesterday announced more NHS help for problem gamblers. Read the story on their website.

The story quotes NHS Mental Health Director Claire Murdoch: “Addiction is a cruel illness that can take over and ruin lives, from putting people into financial distress to straining family relations, and it is no exaggeration to say it can be deadly in the most extreme cases.

“Thousands suffer gambling problems across the country, and it is important those suffering from addiction know that the NHS is here to help and they should not hesitate to come forward for support if needed.

“But while the NHS is there for anybody suffering, the NHS cannot be left alone to pick up the ills caused by unhealthy business practices. Firms engaging in activities that fuel addiction should think hard about the human cost that can be behind their profits”.

NHS England also announced the appointment of Professor Henriette Bowden Jones “as its first ever National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms.”

Professor Bowden Jones is the founder and Director of CNWL’s National Problem Gambling Clinic and The National Centre for Gaming Disorders.

Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE spoke at The Royal College of Psychiatrist's President’s Prestigious Lecture in July this year. At the event, Professor Bowden-Jones discussed Breaking Free: How to Stop Gambling – a new self-help book that she contributed to, and which acts as a guide for those who know or think they might have a problem with gambling.

She was awarded the OBE in 2019.