Yorkshire & Humber ADPH Gambling-Related Harms COI
In January 2018, Public Health England (Yorkshire and Humber) with Leeds City Council, organised a Problem Gambling Masterclass to share ideas and showcase activity. This masterclass was the start of further collaborative work across the region.
Following the Masterclass, Yorkshire and Humber’s Association of Directors of Public Health established a Harmful Gambling Working Group, initially chaired by the Leeds Director of Public Health. This provided an opportunity to share activities and learning on a range of topics relevant to gambling-related harm such as licensing, children and young people, migrants, students, gaming, and workplace health. The group has offered practical help to each other, shared campaign materials (e.g. Leeds ‘Beat the Odds’ campaign), and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment chapters (Sheffield, Hull, Calderdale). Doncaster Council facilitated joined up work on a local schools surveys, aiming for consistency of questions asked across the region.
In September 2019, the group published ‘The Yorkshire and Humber Association of Directors of Public Health: Public Health Framework for Gambling Related Harm Reduction.’ This was designed to translate the Gambling Commission’s ‘Measuring Gambling Related Harms: A framework for action’ into a public health framework of practical actions, providing a consistent approach to harm across the region. The group continued to support sharing of learning and development of activity with sponsorship and guidance from the chair Greg Fell (Director of Public Health, Sheffield City Council, and Y&H ADPH Vice President).
In September 2021, a 3-year programme to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm commenced following a successful bid for funding to the Gambling Commission*. This programme of focused and evaluated activity is led by Y&H OHID on behalf of Y&H ADPH, coordinated alongside the Working Group to complement and enhance the wider remit and action of that group.
In April 2022, the Harmful Gambling Working Group became a Community of Improvement (COI) under the remit of Y&H ADPH with support from the regional OHID team (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) with refreshed Terms of Reference and approach to transparency. This coincided with the development of a regional OHID gambling leads group, enabling collaborative learning and development with other regions in England and with the OHID national addiction and inclusion team.
* ADPH Yorkshire and Humber have received funding in the form of a regulatory settlement from a UK gambling operator to support this programme of work. Regulatory settlement funds are payment in lieu of a financial penalty the Gambling Commission might otherwise impose for breach of a licence condition. The project remit was approved by the Gambling Commission with no involvement of the UK gambling operator. There has been no industry involvement in any part of this research or the related programme. More information on this type of funding can be found here: What are Regulatory Settlement funds? (gamblingcommission.gov.uk)
To find out more about the GRH COI or the Y&H ADPH funded programme, please contact: simone.arratoonian@dhsc.gov.uk
To contact the chair and sponsor of the GRH COI: greg.fell@sheffield.gov.uk