When we looked at our data, it was clear: very few women were coming forward for help with gambling harms. Even when they did, many found it hard to stick with treatment or felt it just wasn’t quite right for them.

Some of the women who did share their views told us they wanted the option of women’s-only groups and more tailored support through the current treatment programme. It might sound simple, but having more choice and feeling ‘heard’ can make a huge difference – it means fewer missed appointments, a better chance of recovery, and a more positive experience for everyone, including our staff.

Our main goal is to make it easier for women to get help. We’re testing ways to offer more choice and women-specific treatment options.

We also want to see:

• More women coming to us for support.
• More women staying engaged with treatment.
• Fewer missed slots and cancellations, so waiting times reduce for everyone.
• A better experience for our team too, with less wasted admin and time.

We’re using the Model for Improvement (PDSA Cycle) – small changes that are tested quickly and then reviewed. This includes:

• Listening to women who use our service and learning from their experiences.
• Linking up with other gambling clinics and women’s health teams.
• Talking openly as a team about what’s working and what isn’t.
• Looking at how women hear about us (through GPs, community groups, social media) and making sure we’re reaching them in ways that feel safe and relevant.
• Setting up women’s-only group and workshops to give more choice.

It hasn’t been easy. Finding the right language, understanding how different women define ‘women’s-only’ support, and working with limited UK-based research to seek answers has been tricky. But we’re learning every step of the way.

We’re still gathering data, this really is just the start! We believe it’s about listening, trying, learning, and trying again – sharing what works (and what doesn’t) so that our clinic, and others, can build on it.

We’re continuing to test these ideas over the next few months. If you have experience, curiosity or ideas about improving women’s access to gambling treatment, we’d love to hear from you! Simply email us at WMGHC@mpft.nhs.uk

Sharing insight, challenges and successes is how we make change happen together.

We will make sure to add images, videos and more about this project as we progress. As a small team at West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic, we are so excited about the difference that this project is going to make to the lives of women who are harmed by gambling, their families, and to the wider community. We hope this work will break down the stigma of gambling, and the false narrative that gambling only harms men.

Keep checking back to hear about our progress.