An investigation has been underway, using input from Delphi Medical, which provides addiction services for Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackburn Foodbank, via Lancaster University’s management school and psychology department.
The partners worked with Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) to gauge the prevalence of out-of-control gambling across the region.
An estimated 460,000 people in the UK are said to be problem gamblers – an issue which could cost society around £1.27bn each year.
University researchers have sought to identify Lancashire’s rates and help direct those at risk towards help and specialist support organisations.
In order to this, they have been evaluating a short set of questions for medical professionals to use when assessing patients, to assess key markers for problem gambling as part of a pilot study among LSCFT service users in Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool, people using Blackburn Foodbank and those getting support via Delphi Medical
Dr Carolyn Downs from Lancaster University Management School, leading the project, said at the launch: “We know, anecdotally, problem gambling may be a more serious and prevalent issue than the latest official figures suggest.
“Clinicians tell us problem gambling is a growing issue across our region and is increasingly seen as a trigger for mental health as well as financial crises – but unlike drug and alcohol addiction, current NHS systems are not set up to capture data on problem gambling. So, at the moment it is impossible to get a true picture of how many people are suffering, and what this addiction may be costing the county.”
The initiative has been funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Sciences Research Council) Impact Acceleration Fund, and aims to provide the NHS with a simple system to more accurately assess the prevalence of problem gambling – and hopes this will help the region attract additional funding in future to tackle the problem.
Dr Downs added: “The questions aren’t designed to be intrusive but simply to pick up on the key indicators that suggest that important line has been crossed – when gambling’s no longer ‘a bit of fun,’ but starts to take over all aspects of life.”
The data obtained is being collated into a report before leading NHS, police and other key public service personnel are invited along to a seminar to discuss the findings.
Researchers hope the project will be rolled out more widely to other areas of the NHS, councils and counselling services in future.
The project comes as the Lancashire Telegraph reported in April how former Blackburn X Factor Nathan Grisdale had blown £50,000 while gambling.
Back in February the Blackburn charity IMO was also handed funds by the GambleAware scheme to examine the issues of gambling harms within ethnic minority communities.