The Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), the representative body for Directors of Public Health in the UK, has bid for £750,000 (around $940,000) that will be used to develop a new safer gambling program in the North East.
The North East is infamous for its gambling harm rates. With the UK seeking to protect as many customers as possible, this new program will be a major development in the market.
The funding, which comes from the UKGC’s Regulatory Settlements Fund, will be used for a three-year pilot program that will explore new ways to treat and prevent harm in the North East. The money will be used in a variety of ways, including the development of prevention campaigns, the training of responsible gambling staff and the creation of new ways to refer people for treatment.
The efficiency of the developed programs will be constantly measured to ensure that customers in the North East will receive efficient and sufficient help. To that end, a part of the funding will be used to hire independent experts to evaluate the program. The ADPH noted that it will leverage the expertise of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria (NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria).
Former and recovering addicts will also participate in the development of the program. Their lived experiences will provide the ADPH with important insights into problem gambling and ways to prevent and treat it.
The ADPH Will Adopt a Public Health Approach
Amanda Healy, ADPH North East’s chair, commented on the matter, saying that the North East, regrettably, has higher gambling harm rates than any other region in the country. She noted that the funding will help her team provide help to the affected communities.
We are looking forward to working with like-minded partners across the region and are grateful for their support in developing the program.
Amanda Healy, chair, ADPH North East
Professor Eileen Kaner, NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria’s director and head of the research team at Newcastle University, also shared her thoughts. She noted that the current research will be of crucial importance for the region. She also shared that she is very pleased that the funding bid was successful.
Lastly, Sarah Bowman-Abouna, director of Public Health at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and Department of Public Health sponsor for gambling-related harms, said that gambling harm is a serious issue that should be tackled before it spirals out of control.
Bowman-Abouna thanked the UKGC for the funding and said that the researchers will adopt a public health approach and will focus on the prevention and promotion of safer gambling.