Key Summary
- The government has launched England’s first Men’s Health Strategy to tackle mental and physical health issues in men
- It prioritises suicide prevention, better prostate cancer care and reducing health inequalities
- New training, workplace pilots and targeted interventions will support men at highest risk
The government has unveiled England’s first Men’s Health Strategy on International Men’s Day (19), which aims to tackle physical and mental health challenges faced by men and boys, and improve their condition in deprived areas.
To deal with men’s mental health challenges, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will team up on the Premier League’s ‘Together Against Suicide’ initiative and try to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health.
Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 50 and three-quarters of all suicides are by men.
This is because men often suffer in silence and avoid seeking help due to stigma attached towards mental health and lack of awareness about support organsations.
Unhealthy habits like smoking, consuming alcohol and drugs, and gambling make matters worse.
The government plans to invest £3.6 million over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men across England and expand mental health teams in schools to ensure an additional 900,000 pupils have access to it by April 2026.
‘Together Against Suicide’ was launched by the Premier League in September 2025 and provides matchday support for fans in stadiums.
It also provides an online hub of information for fans and followers watching from home.
The new partnership will help the clubs work closely with their local NHS trusts, increasing their knowledge and training on suicide prevention, as well as actively promote existing mental health and suicide prevention support such as NHS Talking Therapies and Every Mind Matters.
Prostate cancer
Another area of focus is prostate cancer.
Men with prostate cancer will be provided better care through the strategy, including the development of home prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for those being monitored for the disease.
From 2027, subject to clinical approval, men diagnosed with prostate cancer that is being actively monitored or treated will be able to order and complete PSA blood tests at home, or book an in-person blood test locally through the NHS App.
Other key commitments include new men’s health training for healthcare professionals, workplace health pilots with EDF Energy, and enhanced lung disease support for former miners through extra investment in the Respiratory Pathways Transformation Fund.
The strategy will also fund research into major male health risks and launch a £200,000 trial of brief interventions to tackle rising cocaine- and alcohol-related cardiovascular deaths in older men.
A stakeholder group will oversee implementation of Men’s Health Strategy, with the government publishing reports to ensure accountability.
Samaritans chief executive officer Julie Bentley said, “We welcome the Government’s recognition of the impact of suicide on men and the inclusion of suicide in the men’s health strategy is an important step in us together tackling the tragic reality that suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50.”
Chiara De Biase, director of Health Services, Equity and Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK opined, “Vital changes like giving men more control over their health and providing them with personalised support is long overdue, and we’re committed to working with the Government and the NHS to turn these words into actions that have a life changing impact for men.”
Peter Baker, chief executive, Global Action on Men’s Health said, “It’s great that England has joined the handful of countries around the world with national men’s health strategies.”
He added, “We know that a male-focused, coordinated and system-wide approach can accelerate the changes that are urgently needed to improve men’s unnecessarily poor outcomes and we hope that other governments will now soon follow England’s excellent example.”
