Mental Health Services: Men
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of Written Question 7340 on Men's Mental Health Services, what progress her Department has made on the design and rollout of the Suicide Prevention Support Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men; and when she expects the programme to be operational.
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care
The Government is committed to reducing lives lost to suicide and is delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. In November 2025, the Men's Health Strategy for England announced up to £3.6 million to March 2029 for neighbourhood-based suicide prevention initiatives in areas where middle-aged men face the highest risk of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Pathfinders programme aims to strengthen the connections between services so that middle-aged men receive timely, coordinated, and accessible support when and where they need it most.
The programme has been informed by engagement with local authorities, National Health Service organisations, academic experts, voluntary and community sector organisations, and suicide prevention specialists. Funded areas will bring together partners from sectors including health, local government, voluntary and community organisations, and criminal justice settings to develop joined-up approaches that enable middle-aged men to access the tailored services that they need.
Funding will be allocated through a competitive grant process, designed to select priority areas with published eligibility criteria, targeting funding to areas with the highest rates of suicide. Applications will open in November, and we expect programme delivery to begin in April 2027. The number of awards, total spend, and type of interventions awarded cannot be confirmed until bids are assessed and awarded. Further details on the programme and eligibility will be shared in the coming weeks.
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