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

10 questions to hold councils to account

02/10/15 . News

The Men’s Health Forum is providing councillors with the tools they need to hold their local health system to account on gender.

In partnership with the Centre for Public Scrutiny, the Men’s Health Forum have put together ten questions that scrutiny committees should ask to ensure that their local health systems are as gender-sensitive as they should be – improving the health of both men and women. 

Men’s Health Forum CEO Martin Tod called on councillors to use the publication to improve men's health. ‘Most of the difference in life expectancy and health between men and women - and men in different areas - tracks back to lifestyle factors,' he said. 'Councils can take a leading role in addressing these issues and activating the health services to act. The council can work to get at least 50% male participation in NHS Health Checks and ensure other health improvement programmes - especially weight loss - reflect what works with men.’

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).