In November 2024, the Secretary of State announced his commitment to publish a call for evidence to support the development of England’s first men’s health strategy.
The 12-week call for evidence will gather vital insights from the public, health and social care professionals, academics, employers and organisations with expertise on men’s health so that the Government can consider how to tackle the biggest health issues facing men of all backgrounds.
The Government have set out an ambitious programme of reform for the NHS. The health mission has set the clear goals of achieving: an NHS that is there when people need it, fewer lives lost to the biggest killers, halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions, and a fairer Britain where everyone lives well for longer. Our plan for change will rebuild the health service and deliver better care for everyone.
The men’s health strategy for England will form part of this programme of reform, ensuring that all men get the support they need to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.
We know that men face unique challenges throughout their lives. Men are disproportionately affected by a range of health conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Life expectancy data also shows that on average women live four years more than men in England.
Around three in four people who died by suicide in 2023 were men. Suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50.
Evidence suggests that men are also more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours such as, but not limited to, smoking, harmful gambling and alcohol consumption, and substance misuse.
Inequalities within men’s health are stark. Those in more deprived areas are likely to die earlier on average than those who live in less deprived areas. The gap in life expectancy at birth between men and women increases in line with greater levels of deprivation.
We recognise that men can face various barriers to accessing healthcare services. We want to understand the challenges that men face in seeking and securing help and care, and to ensure that the services they receive are responsive to their needs.
The men’s health strategy will tackle these problems head on.
Following engagement with stakeholder organisations, analysis of the responses to the call for evidence and submissions to the Change NHS website relevant to men’s health, we intend to develop and publish the strategy by the end of 2025.
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