TODAY,Chapter One, an information and support initiative for everyone affected by gambling, officially launches as a national provider, with a gathering of MPs, Peers, experts and people with lived experience in Parliament.
Chapter One was developed by Gambling with Lives, the charity founded in 2018 by families bereaved by gambling suicide, together with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and will now operate across the UK.
The event includes the launch of a “Ten Point Plan for Gambling Harm Prevention” developed by Chapter One in collaboration with London South Bank University (LSBU).
Chapter One aims to rewrite the story of gambling, shifting from the dominant “responsible gambling” narrative to a public health approach, providing full information about the impact and strategies of modern-day gambling, and how/ where to get support and treatment.
Speakers at the launch include Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, the National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms at NHS England, and Dr Beccy Cooper MP, public health doctor and Labour MP for Worthing West.
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is also supporting the event after Chapter One was successfully piloted across the region over the last two years.
People with direct experience of gambling harm, including families bereaved by gambling-related suicide have played a crucial role in shaping Chapter One’s approach and resources, ensuring that the initiative learns lessons from deaths and informs programmes and materials.
James Grimes, Director of Chapter One, said:
“Far too many people, myself included, have been harmed by gambling. Although there is now more support and treatment for gambling harm than ever before, only a small fraction of those harmed access help, with a lack of awareness about the addictive nature of modern gambling.
“Chapter One is here to change that. Our message to anyone harmed by gambling is clear: You are not alone. This is not your fault. Free, confidential help is available”
The Department for Health and Social Care’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy highlights gambling as one of just six “common risk factors linked to suicide at a population level”, stating that “gambling can be a dominant factor without which the death may not have occurred”. Earlier this year new NICE guidance was revealed, encouraging healthcare professionals to ask about gambling as part of a routine health assessment.
Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms at NHS England, said:
“Gambling can have an enormous impact on people’s lives – and for those gambling, it can lead to isolation, depression, severe financial problems and in some cases suicide. The stigma from being in this situation can be overwhelming, which is why initiatives like this one are crucial to empower people to understand gambling harms and get the right support in place.
“The NHS is committed to ensuring those who need support for gambling harms get it, so if you or someone you know is struggling, you can refer yourself to your local NHS gambling clinic.”
The ten-point plan to gambling harm prevention was devised by public health experts at LSBU alongside people with lived experience and will be used as a guiding document for the strategy of Chapter One as well as hoping to inform best practice in all parts of the UK.
Some of the points include all school children receiving a mandated education session, frontline health professionals being trained to support someone affected and the public being given the facts about the causes and effects of gambling harm.
Tom Mills, Senior Research Fellow at London South Bank University, said:
“We have drawn on evidence from diverse sectors to develop this 10-point plan. There is a lot that can be done through messaging, education and support but the narratives must be right. In this respect, Chapter One is groundbreaking in its counter to industry framing. We fully support this further step towards the multi-levelled public health approach that we desperately need.”