Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the contracting process to enable established providers to apply for or maintain commissioned status for the commissioning of gambling harm treatment services will be through (a) open tendering, (b) direct awards, (c) partnership agreements and (d) a spot-purchasing framework; and whether that process will (i) be the same or (ii) vary across England.

The new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect in April 2025. Under the levy, NHS England, and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, are the commissioners for gambling-related harm treatment and support services. They will receive 50% of available levy funding to improve and expand treatment services across Great Britain.

From 1 April 2026, NHS England will take on responsibility for the commissioning of the full gambling harms treatment pathway in England, from referral and triage through to aftercare. NHS England continues to work at pace on the design of the future commissioning approach, however, no decisions have yet been taken. The aim is to provide all stakeholders with a further update in the coming months. All contracting arrangements and their associated funding models will subsequently be confirmed by the appropriate commissioners.