What is Gambling Disorder?
About the service
Southern Health is offering a new specialist service providing evidence-based treatment to people with gambling-related harms / gambling disorder.
It is funded by NHS England.
What we do
The Southern Gambling Service offers high quality assessment and evidence-based treatments for people with gambling-related harms / gambling disorder.
It will offer 3 main treatment pathways:
- Individual psychotherapy (delivered virtually or in person)
- Group psychotherapy (delivered virtually or in person)
- Medication for problematic gambling.
Psychological support is offered in the form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based approaches.
The service has a strong focus on using digital approaches to deliver high quality care, including asking patients to complete questionnaires via a secure online portal as part of the assessment and treatment process and the use of video-consultations when appropriate.
The service is staffed by a multidisciplinary team: consultant psychiatrist(s), consultant psychologist(s), clinical therapist(s), peer support worker(s), as well as administrative and other support staff.
Accessing the service
The service is open to people aged 17 and older with gambling-related harms / gambling disorder, who meet our referral criteria and consent to seeing our team. We consider referrals for people living in or registered with a GP in the following areas:
Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Oxfordshire
Buckinghamshire
West Berkshire
Frimley.
Referrals
- If you are a person affected by gambling-related harms / gambling disorder, you can self refer using our online form here: Southern Gambling Service patient referral form :: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
- If you are a registered healthcare professional wishing to refer a patient with gambling-related harms/gambling disorder, you can fill in our online form here: Southern Gambling Service professional referral form :: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
You can also download a copy of the professional referral form here and complete it on behalf of a patient at a time that suits you.
If you have any questions about completing a referral or specific referral criteria please contact the team by emailing: southerngamblingservice@southernhealth.nhs.uk.
Referral from voluntary and community sector organisations (VCS)
If you are working in a VCS and wish to refer a person to the service, please ask the person affected by gambling-related harms/gambling disorder to complete a self-referral form (with your assistance where appropriate).
Contact information
Please email SouthernGamblingService@southernhealth.nhs.uk
Out of hours
Southern Gambling Service is a 09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri Service
Further information
Find out more about gambling, as well as tips and support if you are struggling to manage a gambling problem, on our support page
- Gambling support
- Patient Journey
- Hear from Owen Baily about his previous experiences of gambling disorder, and Mat King consultant psychologist from Southern Health Gambling talk about the issues of gambling addiction and what type of help is available.
- Would you like to find out more about research and innovations that the team have been involved with? If so see our research and innovation page here.
- Are you an NHS gambling service prescriber or GP seeking to prescribe naltrexone for a person with gambling disorder in collaboration with an NHS gambling service? The National NHS Prescribing Guidelines for Naltrexone in Gambling Disorder can be found here. https://www.southernhealth.nhs.uk/download_file/view/3186/917
Are you a family member of someone affected by gambling disorder? GamFam is a registered charity that offers advice and support to those directly and indirectly affected by gambling harms through structured peer support. If you would like support from GamFam please download the referral form GamFam. Please complete and send this referral form back to: info@gamfam.org.uk
Southern Gambling Service is pleased to be a member of the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance.
