Foundation Evaluation of Primary Care Gambling Service
IFF
Overview
GambleAware has commissioned this foundation evaluation as part of its strategic aim to minimise the level of gambling harm by generating the ‘what works’ evidence to support and inform education and early intervention approaches and tools, and treatment & support service design and commissioning. This foundation evaluation will build the evidence base around referral pathways to gambling support services in the primary care setting.
The Primary Care Gambling Service is a new, GP led, primary care based, integrated-intermediate service, which will form a bridge between existing community and specialist-based services (GamCare) and the National Gambling Treatment Service. The Primary Care Gambling Service provides a range of interventions, including prescribing, psychological treatments, assessment, and case management while ensuring close liaison with general practice teams.
The Primary Care Gambling Service will, in the first instance, have six hubs across South East London with primary care staff in GP practices, Primary Care Networks and Unscheduled Care settings helping to identify, assess and provide therapeutic intervention to gamblers. It adapts a successful ‘shared care’ scheme that already exists across these Practices for substance misuse service provision, where GPs, nurses and specialists work jointly and share the care of their patients.
The Primary Care Gambling Service is a 2-year project delivered by The Hurley Group, which runs from September 2019 to September 2021. The new service, which is not being funded by GambleAware, opened for patients in January 2020.
The Evaluation
This foundation stage evaluation aims to establish clear guidance for the full evaluation of the programme. This guidance will include the development of the programme’s Logic Model; assessment of the feasibility of evaluation methods; and clear recommendations about the methodology of a future impact evaluation.
Methods
Qualitative research methods will be used to create primary data for the foundation evaluation, including depth interviews. Secondary data analysis of management information will also be conducted.