National Gambling Helpline · UK public procurement notice

As well as providing 24/7 access to advice and onward referral/signposting, the National Gambling Helpline also offers brief interventions and a range of web-based self-help and support tools specific to gambling harms (not available elsewhere). They have a workforce with expertise in gambling harms, including lived experience, which NHSE is keen to retain to ensure the outcome and quality of the service, particularly given that there is limited expertise in this area.

GamCare owns the phone number for the National Gambling Helpline which is extensively advertised on marketing materials by a wide range of organisations, including gambling operators, financial services, local authorities and other VCSE providers. Changing this phone number would require extensive engagement, including consultation with gambling operators via the Gambling Commission, and a considerable lead time.

Additionally, a key and unique component of the National Gambling Helpline is their ‘warm transfer’ service from gambling operators and financial services, and to other VCSE service providers. This has specific interoperability requirements to ensure the proper functioning of the service. Incompatibility between systems would result in costly, time consuming and complex redesign and modification which would be unacceptable to our strategic objective of a “smooth transition” to the new treatment system and cause potentially harmful delays in patients accessing treatment services.