Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take in response to the recommendations set out in the ‘Prevention of Future Deaths Report’ issued after the inquest of Jack Ritchie, published on 7 March.
Answered by Lord Kamall
In May 2022, the Government published its response to the Coroner's Prevention of Future Deaths report following the inquest into the death of Jack Ritchie. A copy of the Government’s response is attached.
This confirmed the Government’s commitment to addressing gambling-related harms and prioritising gambling as a public health issue. We will improve the awareness and understanding of gambling-related harms amongst healthcare professions as well as expanding and improving specialist treatment services available for people with a gambling addiction. We have also committed to assess current gambling regulation through the Review of the Gambling Act 2005.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of including support related to (1) gambling related harms, and (2) gambling addiction, in Liaison and Diversion schemes to divert individuals from the criminal justice system.
Answered by Lord Kamall
While no formal assessment has been made, NHS England and NHS Improvement have held national workshops for all liaison and diversion service providers on the vulnerabilities caused by gambling addiction.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the NHS of resolving problems which have occurred during treatment in the private health sector; and what plans they have to ensure that such costs are recovered by the NHS.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No assessment has been made. There is no general provision which allows the National Health Service to recover the costs of problems which have occurred during treatment in the private health sector. Where a private sector hospital or surgeon has been negligent and that negligence results in a damages claim against the party concerned, there is provision for the NHS hospital which subsequently treated the patient to recover specified monetary amounts from the compensator up to a specific maximum, which is currently £54,682 for care and treatment.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they will give to gambling-related harm as part of their forthcoming cross-government Addiction Strategy.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, work on the cross-Government addictions strategy has been delayed. While the scope of the strategy is yet to be determined, it is likely to include gambling-related harms.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what treatments are available for women affected by gambling addiction; and what assessment have they made, if any, of the percentage of women gamblers receiving treatment.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to expanding the geographical coverage of treatment services by opening up to 15 specialist problem gambling clinics by 2023/24. Gambleaware commissions the National Gambling Treatment Service which offers a wide range of treatment services for gambling related harms, including for women.
The Government does not hold centrally information on the number of women gamblers receiving treatment.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what research, if any, they have conducted into the pathways to gambling disorder by women.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England is currently carrying out an evidence review on the prevalence, determinants and harms associated with gambling, and the social and economic burden of gambling-related harms. This includes reviewing the evidence on young people, men and women. The review is expected to be completed in March 2021.
Alongside this, the National Institute of Health Research commissioned a research unit in Sheffield University to undertake a mapping review of the effectiveness of national and international policies and interventions to reduce gambling-related harms.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Self Harm and Suicide in Adults, published in July, what steps they are taking to address any shortcomings in the way suicide risk assessments are conducted.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health has issued extensive guidance on the correct use of risk assessment tools. This guidance makes it clear to trusts that patient management plans should be based on a wider assessment of the individual and their circumstances.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently reviewing its guidance on the management of self-harm with the intention to publish updated guidance in May 2022. This will ensure that guidance for trusts on risk assessment and safety planning is based on the most up-to-date evidence.
Funding has also been provided through the NHS Long-Term Plan specifically to support suicide prevention planning and ensure that every local authority has in place a multi-agency suicide prevention plan.