Men’s Health: a strategic vision for England

Today marks the publication of England’s first-ever Men’s Health Strategy.

It can be tough to be a man in today’s society. Mental ill health is on the rise, preventable killers such as heart disease and prostate cancer are being caught far too late, and tragically, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death of men under 50.

At the same time, lots of young men and boys – particularly those from working class backgrounds – are being led astray by a proliferation of harmful influences and left feeling isolated and confused by the bombardment of conflicting messages about what it means to be a man.

Men can be less likely to seek help and more likely to suffer in silence. This, combined with a higher propensity to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs, all adds up to a crisis in men’s health that ripples through families, workplaces and communities.

This first-ever Men’s Health Strategy for England is the government’s response.

The strategy is designed to support men to take charge of their physical health and mental wellbeing, informed by the voices of experts including men’s groups, charities, men’s health ambassadors, campaigners and partners.

First, by expanding access to support services; second, by being supported to take better care of themselves; and third, by ensuring stigma is challenged and every man feels empowered to reach out for help.

The vision is simple yet bold: to improve the health of all men and boys in England. The strategy identifies six levers through which we will achieve this vision.

1. Improving access to healthcare services

To improve access, the government will invest in community-based men’s health programmes, partner with organisations including the Premier League, develop digital health services, equip professionals to respond to men’s health needs, work with media experts and improve the evidence on men’s health literacy.

2. Supporting individual behaviours

The strategy includes targeted stop smoking and cocaine and alcohol related interventions alongside implementation of the new statutory levy on gambling operators to provide increased, independent, sustainable funding to support system-wide improvements across the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms across Great Britain.

3.Developing healthy living and working conditions

Actions include workplace health initiatives, promoting NHS Health Checks for professional drivers, and campaigns to build resilience against online harms.

4. Fostering, strong social, community, and family networks

The strategy harnesses the sports sector to build men and boys’ social connections and improves father inclusion in Best Start Family Hubs & Healthy Babies. It also commits to strengthen the evidence base on the mental health of fathers during the perinatal period, for example exploring commissioning research on the rate of all-cause mortality and suicide-specific mortality in fathers in the year after childbirth.

5. Addressing societal norms

The government will challenge and change these norms by building the evidence base and identifying ways to build media literacy skills in men.

6. Tackling health challenges and conditions

Targeted actions include neighbourhood-based suicide prevention pilots and respiratory illness case-finding initiatives in former coalfield areas.

This strategy is a crucial first step, laying the foundation from which we can learn, iterate and grow. Recognising that men’s health cannot be solved by government alone, the government is committed to learning from, and working in partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector through the establishment of a new stakeholder group to inform implementation. The government will also look to build a broader coalition, including with service providers, employers and important sectors such as media and sport.

The government will also work with the newly established Men’s Health Academic Network and fund research through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to build the evidence and inform future policy direction.

This strategy is not just a plan, it is a call to action: to create a society where men and boys are supported to live longer, healthier and happier lives; where stigma is replaced by understanding; and where every man knows that his health matters.