The government launches bold plan to tackle physical and mental health challenges faced by men and boys, and reduce inequalities.

  • Landmark strategy published on International Men’s Day aims to tackle men’s mental health challenges, improve physical health and reduce inequalities so men and boys get on and live longer, healthier lives
  • As part of the strategy, DHSC will team up on the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative and smash the stigma around mental health
  • Men with prostate cancer will also benefit from improved care through strategy, alongside £3.6 million investment in suicide prevention projects targeting middle-aged men

Men and boys across England will benefit from tailored healthcare and support as the government launches its first Men’s Health Strategy.

Launched on International Men’s Day, the bold plan sets out comprehensive action to tackle the physical and mental health challenges men and boys face every day.

Men can be less likely to seek help and more likely to suffer in silence. This, combined with a higher propensity to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs, means men’s health is suffering, having a significant impact on families, workplaces and communities. This strategy will help give men and boys to get on and live longer, healthier lives.

Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 50 and three quarters of all suicides are men. That’s why the government is investing £3.6 million over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities across areas of England where men are at most risk of taking their own lives, including some of the most deprived areas in the country. This comes on top of expanding mental health teams in schools to ensure an additional 900,000 pupils have access to support by April 2026.

The projects will break down barriers that middle-aged men face in seeking support, such as the stigma associated with seeking help and a lack of awareness of what is available and how to access it. Projects will be co-designed with experts and men with lived experience of mental health crisis and suicidal thoughts.

The focus on suicide prevention includes a partnership on the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with the Samaritans, which looks to help tackle the stigma around men’s mental health and embed health messaging into the matchday experience.

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