We're joining with other organisations, academics, medical professionals and individuals to write to the Secretary of State to ask her for a men's health strategy. Want to sign the letter? Please sign below:
Dear Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Re: Men’s Health Strategy
As the national charity whose mission is to improve the health of men and boys, alongside the additional signatories below, we are writing to formally ask the Government to begin the process of creating a national Men’s Health Strategy.
This would improve the lives not only of men and boys, it would also improve the lives of women and girls. It would also improve society and the economy.
Men’s health in England is in a critical situation across a wide range of conditions with particular challenges including with disproportionately high rates of suicide, cancer mortality, diabetes, deaths from COVID-19 and heart disease. Even today, nearly one in five male deaths are under 65 and there is a large male mortality gap (27 years) between the richest and poorest parts of England. These are also clear health inequality issues.
The current Government’s individual conditions/disease-based approach is not improving men’s health and there is no evidence that it is. We applaud the recent introduction of the Women's Health Strategy, launched in August 2022 and would strongly urge the Government to begin the process to develop a men's health strategy for tackling specific health matters unique to men who represent 49% of the population.
There are examples of successful local, national and international men’s health strategies that demonstrate the effectiveness of how such an approach works. We and our third sector colleagues will be able to share these models with you and would be able to discuss how we can develop a model that works for men in England.
There have also been two important reports supporting the need for a Men’s Health Strategy from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Issues Affecting Men and Boys, and the Men’s Health Forum1. These both stated that a strategy improves men’s health by better addressing and preventing the range of underlying causes and barriers that have a negative impact on men’s health. A gender-informed approach to men’s health would also lead to a more gender-responsive health service.
There are a large number of organisations and senior health professionals who are invested in developing a men’s health strategy and would work proactively, positively, and in partnership with the Government with respect to the formation and delivery of such a strategy. For instance, Prostate Cancer UK, the UK Men's Sheds Association and the Patients Association also support the campaign’s aims for better outcomes for men’s health.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to supporting the creation of the first Men’s Health Strategy and commit to working together with the Government in improving the health of men and boys in our country.
We would welcome the opportunity of a ministerial round table discussion with you or one of your colleagues and look forward to a favourable and positive reply.
Yours sincerely
Men's Health Forum:
Sign here:
