Men’s Health Strategy

Opened the debate

Nicholas Fletcher is concerned about the worsening state of men's health in England. He highlighted several troubling statistics: nearly one in five men do not live to age 65, with a rising gender age gap; 13 men take their own lives daily; and approximately 6,000 men die each year from alcohol-related causes. Fletcher also noted that men who reside in economically disadvantaged areas face a higher risk of premature death compared to those living in wealthier regions.

Government Response

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Nick Fletcher) for securing this important debate which provides us with an opportunity to discuss the health issues that affect men across the country. More than 100,000 women replied to our call for evidence and they highlighted several barriers to healthcare access faced by both genders but notably different for men who often do not seek services at all due to ease of access or societal attitudes towards seeking help. The average male life expectancy in the UK is below that of women despite women spending a greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability. Men face significant disparities depending on where they live, with a man in Blackpool expected to live over 10 years less than one in Westminster. To address this, we will publish our health disparities White Paper later this year to tackle gaps in life expectancy for men and women. The Department is already taking action on conditions affecting men such as suicide prevention where men are three times more likely to die from it compared to women; heart disease with initiatives like community diagnostic centres aiming to prevent 150,000 heart attacks by 2029; smoking which remains higher among men despite better quit rates and an independent review led by Javed Khan on tobacco control policies; and cancer especially lung cancer where we are rolling out targeted health checks in high-risk areas. We also support initiatives like Men's Sheds that bring services directly to communities instead of expecting men to come forward. My hon. Friend is right about the importance of focusing on prevention by reducing smoking, alcohol, and obesity rates to keep men healthier for longer. Loneliness and lack of social connections can lead some men to rely on harmful habits like excessive drinking or gambling as coping mechanisms. I encourage further scrutiny from the APPG on these issues and our ongoing work including reviewing the suicide prevention strategy this year focusing on high-risk groups such as middle-aged men.