Stigma remains one of the strongest barriers to accessing care for people experiencing alcohol and gambling related harms. The NHS Addictions Provider Alliance (APA) conference is an annual event, bringing together healthcare professionals, researchers, and people with lived experience of addictions related harms. It can help support more people to get the right support from addictions services.
Understanding stigma: why it matters for addictions services
Across alcohol addiction, gambling harms and other areas, one message from the conference was clear: stigma often grows from a lack of understanding. Helping people feel heard and properly understood is a central piece to tackling stigma.
But tackling stigma effectively means going a step further. It requires understanding the position of those who hold stigmatising views, whether they are members of the public, professionals working under pressure, or systems shaped by outdated assumptions.
Addictions services must have awareness of the true impact of stigma; Both to help increase the number of people who need support to actually access it, and also to ensure that services are designed in the right way to drive the best outcomes.
Role of addictions services in reducing stigma
Paul Evans, Operational and Development Lead at MPFT Gambling Harms Clinic, suggested that sometimes services themselves can amplify stigma.
When people arrive into addictions services, they often already fear judgement. Therefore, a poorly timed response, or a lack of empathy can reinforce those fears and push people further away from help.
“Clinicians need to react in ways that reduce stigma, not heighten it. Empathy, understanding and really listening to people’s experiences are some of the most powerful ways we can all be bridges.”
Paul emphasised that recovery is not linear. Also, it is not owned by any single service. NHS support is just one stage of a longer journey. True stigma reduction requires integrated systems, working alongside VCSE organisations and social care so people receive the right support at the right time, without falling through gaps.
Education that meets people where they are
Education is another foundation for reducing stigma and increasing access to addictions services. If we can effectively educate society as a whole, then we can ensure everyone gets adequate support.
Effective education means:
- Meeting people where they are
- Understanding their perspectives and pressures
- Engaging in dialogue rather than delivering instruction
Gambling harms: the cost of a hidden addiction
Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Founder and Director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, discussed gambling-related harms and the unique stigma that surrounds them.
Gambling addiction has always been recognised as a “hidden addiction.” Shame remains one of the greatest barriers to accessing help early, delaying treatment until harms become severe. Things such as gambling advertising and social media exacerbate harms, but regulation and prevention have lagged behind.
The introduction of the gambling levy represents a huge shift. For the first time, gambling harm is being positioned more clearly as a public health issue.
James Austin, Deputy Director in the NHS Mental Health Programme, described the levy as a unique opportunity, as funding is split across research, prevention and treatment. Therefore, this will allow the system to learn what works and scale it effectively.
However, this is not a quick fix, and services must work together with other organisations and those with lived experience to improve outcomes for those suffering from gambling harms.
Professor Bowden-Jones emphasised the importance of a national system with consistent data reporting and NICE-aligned, evidence-based treatment. This is essential for accountability and also for trust.
This can be supported with digital tools such as iaptus, and theseus, which help to provide strong data insights and reporting to national datasets, as well as streamlining services so clinicians can focus more on delivering support. iaptus is already supporting a number of the NHS gambling harms clinics.
Ready to implement new digital tools?
Conversations about stigma are key, but the insights from these must be translated into practice to deliver real change. For drug, alcohol and gambling services, this means having systems that support compassionate, joined-up care rather than creating additional barriers.
With the right digital foundations in place, services are better equipped to deliver inclusive, evidence-based care. They can support people not just to access help, but to stay engaged on their recovery journey.
Mayden has a suite of innovative software solutions which support addictions services to enable better information sharing, integrated pathways and consistent data capture. We help services work more collaboratively across health, social care and the VCSE sector. Get in touch with us to find out more.