Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

National Gambling Helpline

NHS England

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

30 Sep 2026 at 10:20

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

29 Sep 2026 at 12:17

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

13 May 2026 at 15:28

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

NHS England commissioned GamCare to continue the National Gambling Helpline, an established service providing access to support for people experiencing gambling harms. The service offers telephone, email, WhatsApp and online access, with advice, brief interventions, onward referral and signposting, plus web-based self-help tools. It is a key route into treatment and support services as NHS England takes responsibility for commissioning the gambling harms treatment pathway. The existing helpline number is embedded across referral and marketing routes used by gambling operators, financial institutions, local authorities and voluntary, community and social enterprise providers. The service is delivered nationally; NHS England is based in London.

The procurement is complete and GamCare was selected through a direct award. The award value is £14.5 million, including an optional extension. The initial contract period runs from 9 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, with an option to extend by a further 12 months, to April 2028. The single lot is suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprise providers. NHS England justified the direct award on the need to retain the existing specialist service and workforce, preserve continuity of the established helpline number, and maintain the technical compatibility of warm transfers between gambling operators, financial services and other support providers. The service’s expertise in gambling harms, including lived experience, and its distinctive support tools were central to the decision.

For suppliers considering similar future work for NHS England, this award shows that credibility depends on delivering a mature, national, multi-channel gambling-harms helpline integrated with treatment and support services. Relevant strengths include round-the-clock access, advice and brief interventions, onward referral and signposting, and practical digital self-help resources. Specialist gambling-harms expertise is important, including staff with lived experience. Suppliers would also need to demonstrate continuity of established referral routes and the ability to work interoperably with gambling operators, financial institutions and voluntary-sector providers, including reliable warm transfers. The buyer’s rationale places particular weight on avoiding disruption to patient access and referral flows during commissioning transitions. This is a substantial service requiring established operational capacity and trusted relationships across the gambling-harms support system.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

National Gambling Helpline

Notice Description

The introduction of the Statutory Gambling Levy in October 2025 resulted in NHS England becoming responsible responsible for commissioning the gambling harms treatment pathway, from referral and triage through to aftercare, as of 1st April 2026. The National Gambling Helpline, delivered by GamCare, a VCSE organisation, is an established, live service providing multi-channel access (including telephone, email, WhatsApp and online) and plays an integral role in the treatment system as a primary referral route into treatment and support services. GamCare owns the established national helpline number, which is extensively embedded across marketing and referral routes used by gambling operators, financial institutions, local authorities and VCSE providers. Maintaining continuity of this access route is critical, as changes would require extensive engagement and lead time, with potential disruption to patient access and referral flows. The requirement is limited to continuation of the existing service to ensure system stability during transition to future commissioning arrangements.

Procurement Information

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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0697fb
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092199-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

33693300 - Addiction treatment

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£14,500,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
15 Jun 20263 months ago
Contract Period
9 Oct 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS England
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 8UG
Postcode Area
South East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI45 Lambeth
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

GamCare

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

Loading OCDS record...