Must know: Supporting men’s health

The Men’s Health Strategy for England, published in November 2025, sets out to close the persistent and preventable health gap experienced by men, particularly those in the most disadvantaged communities. A one-year implementation report is due in late 2026, giving councils a national timetable against which to test local progress.

Men in England face higher premature mortality, greater exposure to behavioural risks, and lower engagement with preventive services. None of this is inevitable. It is shaped by the social, economic, and environmental conditions in which men live, work, and age.

Local government shapes those conditions. Councillors help influence the places where men grow up, the jobs they do, the services they use, and the support available when things go wrong. Understanding men's health is essential for effective scrutiny, prevention, and system leadership.

This must know guide gives elected members the key questions to ask of officers and partners, so that local action lines up with the national strategy and improves outcomes for men in their communities.

A selection of national statistics illustrates the scale and urgency of the challenge:

• Men live 4.2 years fewer than women on average in England.
• The gap between the most and least deprived men can exceed 10 years in some local authorities.
• Three in four suicides are men, with the highest risk among those aged 35–54.
• Men account for 67 per cent of alcohol specific deaths and the majority of drug related deaths.
• One in five men aged 16–64 is economically inactive, with long term sickness the largest single cause.
• Men are less likely to attend NHS Health Checks, cancer screening, or primary care appointments.
• Around 80–85 per cent of people sleeping rough are men, reflecting deep structural inequalities.
• South Asian men have the highest diabetes prevalence, while Black men have higher hypertension and stroke risk.

These patterns align directly with the priorities of the Men’s Health Strategy, which emphasises prevention, early diagnosis, mental health, workplace health, and reducing inequalities.

Three in four suicides are men, with the highest risk among those aged 35–54."

These questions help councillors scrutinise local performance, challenge assumptions, and ensure that men’s health is embedded across the system.

1. Life expectancy and inequalities

• How does male life expectancy in our area compare with England and similar councils.
• What is the gap between the most and least deprived men locally, and is it widening or narrowing.
• Which groups of men (by age, ethnicity, occupation) experience the worst outcomes.
• What is healthy life expectancy for men in our area, and is the gap between total and healthy life expectancy widening or narrowing.
• What do we know about the health of men aged 65 and over, and how large is the inequality in life expectancy at 65 across our communities.

2. Premature mortality

• What are the leading causes of early death among men in our area.
• Are we reducing under 75 mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver disease, and respiratory illness.
• How well are we identifying and managing high risk men (e.g., smokers, men with hypertension, men not in work).

3. Mental health and suicide

• What is our local suicide rate for men, and how does it compare nationally.
• Do we have a clear plan for men aged 35–54, the highest risk group.
• How accessible are crisis, talking therapy, and community support services for men.
• What is our rate of emergency hospital admissions for intentional self-harm among men, and what support is in place after discharge.
• Are men with serious mental illness receiving annual physical health checks, and are we narrowing their premature mortality gap.

4. Behavioural risks

• Are smoking rates among routine and manual male workers reducing.
• What is driving alcohol specific admissions among men locally.
• Are we reaching men who are inactive or at risk of obesity.
• Do we have targeted programmes for high risk groups (e.g., men in insecure work, men in midlife).
• What is our male mortality rate from drug misuse, and are men engaging with and completing structured treatment.

5. Long term conditions

• How many men have undiagnosed hypertension or diabetes.
• Are men taking up NHS Health Checks at the same rate as women.
• What is our plan to improve early diagnosis of cancer in men.

6. Sexual and reproductive health

• Are young men engaging with sexual health services.
• What are the STI and HIV patterns among different groups of men locally.
• Do we have targeted outreach for groups with higher risk.

7. Work, income and economic participation

• What proportion of men are economically inactive due to long term sickness, and why.
• How are we supporting men back into work, especially those with MSK or mental health conditions.
• Are boys and young men achieving good educational outcomes (school readiness, attendance, exclusions).
• What proportion of boys aged 16 and 17 are not in education, employment or training, and how does this compare with similar areas.
• How many boys in our area are growing up in low income families, and is that number rising or falling.

8. Vulnerability and safety

• What proportion of people sleeping rough locally are men, and what are the drivers.
• Do we have integrated pathways for men with overlapping needs (mental health, substance misuse, homelessness).
• How many single men are owed homelessness prevention and relief duties, and what happens to those who do not meet the priority need threshold.
• What do we know about loneliness and social connection among men, particularly in midlife and older age, and what community infrastructure exists to support them.

9. Ethnicity, gender and deprivation

• Which groups of men face the steepest inequalities, and are we targeting them effectively.
• Do we understand how ethnicity and deprivation shape men’s health in our area.
• Are services culturally competent and accessible to all groups of men.

10. System leadership and accountability

• Who is the named lead for men’s health in our system.
• How are we ensuring men’s voices, especially seldom heard groups, shape our priorities.
• Are we investing in prevention at the scale required to shift outcomes.
• How will we measure progress over the next 12–24 months.

The Men’s Health Strategy for England makes clear that improving men’s health is essential to reducing inequalities, strengthening prevention, and supporting economic participation. Local authorities have a central role in delivering this ambition.

For councillors, the key is to ask the right questions, about outcomes, inequalities, access, and accountability. The evidence shows that men’s health is shaped by the conditions in which they live, work, and age. By focusing on the groups of men at highest risk, and by ensuring services are accessible, culturally competent, and prevention focused, local leaders can make a measurable difference.