# The New Health Lottery

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/10/14/new-health-lottery/
- Published: 2011-10-14T11:01:13+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Much has been written in the past few days about how Richard Desmond’s new Health
Lottery might draw money away from other health-related charities and hospices. 
I have yet to read any comment about how it might be used to influence health policy
and health delivery at the local level.

The Lottery is linked to the People’s Health Trust and a network of 51 Community
Interest Companies across England, Scotland and Wales with the franchise-like names
of Healthxxxxx, for example HealthCalm in Derby or HealthLives in East London. The
idea is the CICs will promote the Lottery in the areas and make decisions about 
grants and local giving policies.

 [⌊The Health Lottery: 51 local lotteries⌉](http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardlake/6243465066)

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Now it’s early days yet, and all what follows may just be a coincidence, but in 
doing some research into who was behind the CICs all roads led to a virtual office
management service in London and two directors, who are directors of all the ones
I checked. In recent months a new director came on board, Anthony Vick. Mr Vick 
has a financial background and has been involved with various hospitals and health
charities. About the same time as he became involved with the People’s Health Trust
and the Health Lottery, Mr Vick also became a consultant to something called the
About Health Group. The About Health Group describes itself as being involved in
healthcare innovation: most interestingly it specialises in working with groups 
of clinicians who want to provide high quality services under contract to the NHS.

Should we be concerned that there is a personnel link between the Health Lottery
and opting out of the NHS?

**Gary Wiltshire**

**Director www.fundinginformation.org and Inspiring Vision LLP**

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