The government is to invest £3.6m as part of a new health strategy aimed at tackling the physical and mental health challenges faced by men and boys.
It aims to reduce inequalities and will focus on reducing suicide in partnership with the Premier League and improving testing and other specific interventions.
The strategy includes the development of home prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and interventions to target the rise in cocaine and alcohol-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths.
A £3m investment into community-based men’s health programmes will be made along with workplace health pilots in male-dominated industries.
Suicide prevention
Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 50 and three-quarters of all suicides are men, so the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will team up on the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative to eliminate the stigma around mental health
A total of £3.6m over the next three years will be spent on suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities across areas of England where men are most at risk of taking their own lives, including some of the most deprived areas in the country.
This is in addition to expanding mental health teams in schools to ensure an additional 900,000 pupils have access to support by April 2026, the government said.
The projects will aim to 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 crises and suicidal thoughts.
This 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.
Together Against Suicide was launched by the Premier League in September and provides matchday support for fans in stadiums, initially through 11 pilot clubs, as well as providing an online hub of information for fans and followers watching from home.
This partnership will enhance that support by ensuring clubs are working closely with their local NHS trusts, increasing their knowledge and training on suicide prevention, as well as actively promoting existing mental health and suicide prevention support such as NHS Talking Therapies and Every Mind Matters.
Home PSA testing
The government said men with prostate cancer will also benefit from improved care through the strategy, which will include 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 commitments in the men’s health strategy include:
- investing £3m into community-based men’s health programmes, designed to reach those most at risk and least likely to engage with traditional services
- men’s health training for healthcare professionals through new e-learning modules and resources
- workplace health pilots with EDF Energy through the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Programme to support male workers in male-dominated industries
- additional lung disease support for former miners, with increased investment in the Respiratory Pathways Transformation Fund in areas with significant former mining communities
- funding research to help prevent, diagnose, treat and manage the major male killers and causes of unhealthy life years in men
- a £200,000 trial of new brief interventions to target the rise in cocaine and alcohol-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths, particularly among older men
A stakeholder group will oversee implementation of the strategy, with the government publishing a one year report to ensure accountability.