TREATMENTS for dozens of people in York with gambling addictions were paused due to NHS staff being redeployed during the coronavirus pandemic.

At Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYP), 25 out of 125 referrals recorded in May had not yet progressed to assessments by June, a Freedom of Information request shows.

That process from initial contact with a person usually takes between seven and 14 days, LYP said, but it reached “up to a month” for some, while four of its 18 staff were redeployed.

The news comes after the BBC Shared Data Unit reported in May that search interest in online casinos had hit an all-time high in the UK since lockdown began - and that search interest has since risen again in July.

Matt Gaskell, Clinical Lead and Consultant Psychologist at the NHS Northern Gambling Service said: “We would normally want to see service users within 7-14 days of referral. Due to some of our staff being redeployed during our Covid-19 response some people have had to wait over a month.

“Only one member of our team remains on redeployment which means we’ll be able to return to our normal level of responsiveness soon.

“Our staff have worked incredibly hard during the pandemic. We’ve continued to provide individual and group therapy via video and we’ve been closely monitoring all our service users with regular telephone calls and wellbeing checks.

Matt added: “The NHS in England has limited resources to address gambling-related harm and better funding through a levy would allow us to see and treat more people. The handful of clinics we do have currently provide a lifeline for a significant number of people struggling with serious problem gambling.”

Matt Gaskell, Clinical Lead and Consultant Psychologist at the NHS Northern Gambling Service said: “Our service is now operating as normal and we’re seeing service users within 7-14 days. Only one member of our team remains on redeployment.

“Our staff have worked incredibly hard during the pandemic. We’ve continued to provide individual and group therapy via video and we’ve been closely monitoring all our service users with regular telephone calls and wellbeing checks.

Matt added: “The NHS in England has limited resources to address gambling related harm and better funding through a levy would allow us to see and treat more people. The handful of clinics we do have currently provide a lifeline for a significant number of people struggling with serious problem gambling.”