Short Communication: What interest and influence do Directors of Public Health in London have in local gambling policy?

Objectives

Gambling harms are increasingly conceptualised as a public health issue, affecting not only the individual who gambles but those close to them and to wider society too. However, the Gambling Act 2005 gives public health teams no statutory role in decisions by local councils on ‘land-based’ gambling licensure, unlike alcohol premises licensing where public health teams are a responsible authority. We surveyed Directors of Public Health in London to gain understanding of their interest and influence in local gambling policy.

Study design

a survey was created in conjunction with representatives from London public health teams and disseminated via an online platform. It was sent to Directors of Public Health in all 32 London boroughs.

Methods

Survey questions were a mixture of fact-finding questions about the public health teams structure (including staff number) and Likert scale questions about their interest and influence in gambling policy, using comparator questions with alcohol policy (where public health teams have a formal role).

Results

the response rate for the survey was 28 %. The place of public health teams within individual councils varies widely, as does the number of Full-Time Equivalent staff members. There was positive correlation between a public health teams perceived influence on alcohol and gambling policy. Public health teams identified a wide number of existing effective partnerships within their organisations.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that it is public health team integration rather than pure legislative factors that influence their involvement in local gambling policy. Existing effective partnerships, particularly licensing and planning, should be harnessed to further integrate public health teams into decision-making.