One man in five dies before the age of 65.
TOGETHER we can change that.

Helping government improve health and wellbeing

The Men's Health Forum has been named as one of 21 organisations that will be part of the Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme.

The programme sees the Men's Health Forum working with the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England to improve men's health.

The scheme also provides a way for the Forum to work a network of local voluntary and community sector organisations to help tackle men's health problems in their areas.

The Forum earned its place on the programme following an assessment process which saw fewer than one third of the 66 organisations and coalitions who applied being recruited for 2013-14.

'Legal duty'

Men's Health Forum CEO Martin Tod said 'This important partnership and the funding that comes with it will help us tackle the high rates of premature death in men and it will provide us with more opportunities to remind the public sector that they have a legal duty to tackle men's health.'

The Forum has worked with the Department of Health and other charities in the past but this new programme includes the new bodies NHS England and Public Health England and a new mix of organisations and coalitions. 

Norman Lamb, the Care and Support Minister, said 'I am delighted that these 21 organisations will share £3.5m to help them work in partnership with the Department, NHS England and Public Health England as part of a new system-wide Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme for 2013/14.

The voluntary sector has a valuable role to play in improving health and wellbeing and this new programme will help develop and build strong and productive partnerships with the sector and support organisations to build capability more widely.'

The organisations on the strategic partners programme have a portal website and tweet with #VCSpartners.

The Men's Health Forum is now working with others on the programme on a co-ordinated plan of work for 2014/15.

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

Registered with the Fundraising Regulator

Contact
Address
  • The Men's Health Forum
  • 82 Tanner Street
  • London, SE1 3GN

Charity registered in England and Wales (no. 1087375). Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 4142349).