Open call for evidence

Men's Health Strategy for England: call for evidence

Updated 1 May 2025

Applies to England

This call for evidence will inform the development of a Men’s Health Strategy for England. It seeks the views of the public as well as health and social care professionals, academics, employers and stakeholder organisations. Rather than a formal consultation on specific proposals, this is a request for ideas and evidence that the government can build upon and discuss further with key interests.

The call for evidence includes questions on:

• topics that the Men’s Health Strategy should cover
• health literacy, education and training
• health behaviours
• health conditions affecting men
• health and work
• men’s engagement with healthcare services
• men’s experience of healthcare services

The Men’s Health Strategy will also use submissions to the Change NHS website that are relevant to men’s health.

Introduction

The government has set out an ambitious programme of reform for the NHS. The health mission has set the clear goals of achieving:

• an NHS that is there when people need it
• fewer lives lost to the biggest killers, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease
• a fairer Britain where everyone lives well for longer

To deliver this vision, the 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally reform the NHS through 3 shifts, from:

• sickness to prevention
• hospital to community
• analogue to digital

The Men’s Health Strategy will form part of this programme of reform, ensuring that services are responsive to men and that outcomes are improved, while delivering within the fiscal envelope.

We know that men face unique challenges throughout their lives. Men are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (as shown in NHS datasets and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) public health profiles). Life expectancy data also shows that men live on average 4 years fewer than women (79.1 versus 83.0 years in England, respectively).

Around 3 in 4 people who died by suicide in 2023 were men. Suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50.

Evidence suggests that men are also more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours such as, but not limited to, smoking, harmful gambling, alcohol consumption and substance misuse. Some of these behaviours are risk factors for diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia.

There’s international evidence that men can face various barriers in accessing healthcare services. We want to understand the challenges that men face in seeking help and ensure that the care they receive meets their needs.

The Men’s Health Strategy will seek to address the stark inequalities in men’s health. Those in more deprived areas are likely to die earlier on average than those who live in less deprived areas. The gap in life expectancy at birth between men and women increases in line with greater levels of deprivation.

There are other general inequalities that affect men. Men in the North East of England are expected to live just under 3 years fewer than those in the South East and there’s significant variation in life expectancy for men of different ethnic groups. There is a strong relationship between disability and being in poor health. Of those who reported having a disability in the 2021 Census, as defined under the Equality Act 2010, 68% reported being in not good health, compared to just 7% of those who reported not having a disability.

We want all men to get the support they need to live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.

Aims and areas of focus

We are committed to improving men’s health in England, bringing a renewed focus on preventing adverse health outcomes and reducing health inequalities. While recognising the tight fiscal context, the Men’s Health Strategy will seek to improve the health and wellbeing of all men in England and take a life-course approach.

Areas of focus

The Men’s Health Strategy will set out how we will work across the system to improve the health of all men in England through:

• understanding and identifying areas where we can improve support for healthier behaviours
• improving outcomes for health conditions that typically, disproportionately or differently affect men
• improving men’s access, engagement and experience of the health service

The strategy will have a strong focus on how we can address inequalities in men’s health and improve outcomes for different groups of men.

The strategy will be informed by the call for evidence. It may also consider how we can build the evidence base around other themes, such as:

• health literacy
• training and education
• promoting research and improving data
• governance and accountability

Understanding and identifying areas where we can improve support for healthier behaviours

Prevention will always be better and cheaper than cure. The Men’s Health Strategy will support the government’s commitment to make the shift from treatment to prevention.

We know that making it easier for men to engage in healthy behaviours will be an important part of improving men’s health outcomes. The strategy will consider the drivers behind behaviours associated with positive health outcomes and those posing a risk to men’s health.

Health Survey for England 2022 data shows that alcohol consumption is higher for men and that men are more likely to engage in binge drinking. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that for 2023 in England and Wales, the male rate of drug misuse deaths was 90.4 deaths per million (2,586 registered deaths) compared to a rate of 34.4 deaths per million (1,032 deaths) for females. Figures show that, in 2020, the difference in avoidable mortality rates from alcohol and drug-related disorders for men in the most deprived areas was 6 times greater than that in the least deprived areas (78.1 deaths per 100,000 compared to 13.0 deaths per 100,000, respectively).

A high proportion of men are living with overweight and obesity; 67% of men are overweight, including obese, compared to 61% of women, according to Health Survey for England 2022 data. Evidence also suggests that men are more likely to engage in gambling and experience gambling-related harms. Gambling is identified as a key risk factor for suicide in the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England.

Men are more likely to smoke than women - data shows that 13.4% of men in England smoke compared to 9.9% of women.

Improving outcomes for health conditions that typically, disproportionately or differently affect men

Through the strategy, we will consider where targeted action is needed, or existing services can better respond to the needs of men on health conditions that either typically or disproportionately affect men, or affect men in different ways.

Evidence shows that men are more likely to die prematurely from cardiovascular disease than women. Of the 38,000 people who died aged under 75 from cardiovascular disease in England in 2023, 26,000 were male. Between 2017 and 2019, deaths from cardiovascular disease made up just over a quarter of the male life expectancy gap between the most and least deprived. The government is committed to tackling this ‘big killer’ and the health inequalities it drives.

Men are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer over their lifetimes and they also have lower 5-year survival rates for most types of cancer (see NHS datasets and Cancer Research UK data). Research from Cancer Research UK shows that lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in males. Analysis from Prostate Cancer UK also shows that prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in England. The Men’s Health Strategy will align with the national cancer plan for England to set out how we will improve men’s experiences and cancer outcomes.

We also recognise the importance of supporting mental health in ways that work for men. There is some evidence that men are less likely to access NHS Talking Therapies for their mental health. In 2023, around 3 in 4 suicides were male. The government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, including cutting the lives lost to suicide.

Improving men’s access, engagement and experience of the health service

Through the call for evidence, we are seeking to understand how men engage with healthcare services and how we can address the barriers to access.

Evidence shows that across the NHS Health Check, a cardiovascular disease prevention programme, men are less likely to attend a health check (45.3%) compared with women (54.7%).  As a result, fewer men than women are provided with the necessary advice, signposting and onward referral available through the NHS Health Check to manage and reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke and related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and some forms of dementia.

It is important that when men need help, they can get the care they need. Services can exacerbate inequalities if they fail to consider the requirements of the people who need them most. For example, barriers such as transport and language can affect access to quality services, particularly for those with the greatest need. We particularly want to understand the inequalities that different groups of men face in terms of their access and experience of healthcare services.

About the survey

This call for evidence is open to people who:

• are aged 16 and over
• currently live in England

Respondents will answer different questions depending on the capacity in which they are responding to this survey, from the following categories:

• an individual sharing my personal views
• a health or social care professional
• an academic
• on behalf of an organisation (such as a local authority, employer, research institution, charitable organisation or a social care provider)

Survey questions for individuals sharing their personal views, health and social care professionals, and academics are detailed in the sections below. Questions for organisations are listed separately, in the document Questions for organisations.

We are interested in hearing from all those with lived experience of men’s health issues.

If you would like to respond to this survey as a man sharing your lived experience, you will be asked additional questions about your:

• personal characteristics
• health literacy
• health conditions
• experience of your health conditions at work, if relevant
• experiences of care

However, if there are any questions you don’t want to answer, you will be able to skip them by selecting ‘prefer not to say’.

An easy read and British Sign Language (BSL) version of the call for evidence will be available shortly and will be open for 12 weeks once published.

Information on health conditions is collected for analytical purposes only. The survey is not a route to any treatment or support and individuals are encouraged to seek professional medical help for any health concerns. If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now. If you need help urgently but it’s not an emergency, you can get help from NHS 111 online.

If you have any queries relating to this call for evidence, email menshealth@dhsc.gov.uk. Do not use this email address to send any responses.

How to respond

We welcome views from the public, as well as health and social care professionals, academics, employers and stakeholder organisations. We’re particularly interested in the lived experience of all those directly affected by men’s health issues.

You can respond using the online survey.

The call for evidence runs for 12 weeks and closes at 11:59pm on 17 July 2025.

The evidence gathered through this exercise will inform a Men’s Health Strategy for England.

Note: all open-ended (free text) questions are followed, in the survey, by the prompt ‘Please do not include any personal information in your response’.

About you

You will be asked to confirm that you are aged 16 or over and that you live in England. You will also be asked closed-ended demographic questions on the following.

If you are an individual sharing your personal views or a health and social care professional, you will be asked to select:

• your sex
• whether the gender you identify with is the same as your sex registered at birth

If you are a man sharing your lived experience or a health and social care professional, you will also be asked to select, from a list, the area of England you live in.

If you are a health or social care professional you will also be asked to select, from a list, the type of health or social care professional you are.

Additional questions for men sharing their lived experiences

If you are a man sharing your lived experiences you will also be asked additional questions about your:

• age
• ethnic group
• sexual orientation
• employment status and, where relevant, the industry you work in

These questions are optional.

Men’s health topics

There are many topics that relate to men’s health, either directly or indirectly.

Which of the below topics, if any, do you think it is most important for the Men’s Health Strategy to consider?  (Optional)

Please select up to 5 topics that you think are most important. You can also provide your own suggestion by selecting ‘other’.

• access to services
• alcohol
• atrial fibrillation (a type of heart rhythm problem)
• autism and neurodiversity (such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia)
• cancers typically affecting men (prostate, testicular and penile cancer)
• conditions that affect your joints, bones and muscles (such as arthritis)
• dementia
• diabetes
• diet
• disability
• experience of healthcare
• fatherhood
• gambling
• governance and accountability
• health literacy
• health screening services
• healthy relationships
• heart disease and stroke
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• inequalities
• injuries and risk taking
• loneliness
• masculinity
• mental health (including stress and anxiety)
• neurological conditions (such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease)
• other cancers (such as bowel and lung cancer)
• physical activity or inactivity
• research and data
• sexual health
• smoking
• substance misuse
• suicide prevention
• training and education for healthcare professionals
• weight
• other (please specify)

Additional questions for men sharing their lived experiences

In the following questions you will be asked whether you:

• strongly agree
• agree
• neither agree nor disagree
• disagree
• strongly disagree

These questions are optional.

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements:

• I feel that information about healthcare services is clear, accessible and relevant to men like me
• I know where to get medical advice if I have a physical health concern
• I am aware of the steps I can take to look after my physical health
• Advice and guidance on looking after my physical health is clear, accessible and relevant to men like me
• I know where I can seek support if I have a mental health concern
• I know where I can seek support if I’m at the point of mental health crisis
• I am aware of the steps I can take to look after my mental health and wellbeing
• Advice and guidance on looking after my mental health and wellbeing is clear, accessible and relevant to men like me
• I feel that information about sexual health services is clear, accessible and relevant to men like me
• Advice and guidance on sexual health is clear, accessible and relevant to men like me

Additional questions for health and social care professionals

In the following question you will be asked whether you:

• strongly agree
• agree
• neither agree nor disagree
• disagree
• strongly disagree

The question is optional.

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statement.

• I have the skills to engage with men effectively about their health

Improving support for healthier behaviours

We want to know what things could make it easier for men and boys to engage in healthier behaviours. By healthier behaviours we mean things like:

• eating a healthy diet
• taking part in regular activity
• reducing or stopping smoking
• reducing drug and alcohol use

What suggestions do you have for how to make it easier for men and boys to engage in healthier behaviours? (Optional)

Improving outcomes for health conditions that affect men

Questions for men sharing their lived experiences

Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more?

• yes
• no
• prefer not to say

If you answered that you have any health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last for 12 months or more, do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry out day-to-day activities?

• yes, a lot
• yes, a little
• not at all
• prefer not to say

Do you currently have any other health conditions?

This can include any short-term conditions that you’re currently experiencing. We are asking this question to understand more about your experiences.

• yes
• no
• prefer not to say

If you answered that you have any health conditions, please select the health conditions or disabilities that you currently live with.

Please select any long or short-term health conditions.

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• anxiety disorders and stress
• asthma
• atrial fibrillation (a type of heart rhythm problem)
• autism spectrum disorder
• cancer
• chronic fatigue syndrome or ME
• chronic kidney disease
• coronary heart disease
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• dementia
• depression
• diabetes
• dyslexia
• dyspraxia
• eating disorder
• epilepsy
• erectile dysfunction
• fibromyalgia
• gastrointestinal conditions and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• hearing impairment (deafness)
• heart condition
• HIV
• high cholesterol
• hypertension (high blood pressure)
• hypothyroidism
• learning disability
• migraine
• musculoskeletal condition (including arthritis)
• multiple sclerosis
• neurological condition (such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease)
• obesity
• persistent pain
• visual impairment (blindness)
• other mental health condition and/or suicidal ideation
• other (please specify)
• prefer not to say

If you answered that you have any health conditions, have you received any NHS healthcare for your health conditions or disabilities in the last 3 years?

• yes
• no
• prefer not to say

If you answered that you have received NHS healthcare in the last 3 years, please rate the overall experience of NHS healthcare that you have received for your health conditions or disabilities in the last 3 years. (Optional)

• very good
• good
• average
• poor
• very poor
• don’t know

If you answered that you have received NHS healthcare in the last 3 years, how would you improve the overall experience of NHS healthcare that you have received for your health conditions or disabilities in the last 3 years? (Optional)

If you answered that you have received NHS healthcare in the last 3 years, what has been good about the experience of NHS healthcare that you have received for your health conditions or disabilities in the last 3 years? (Optional)

If you answered that you have any health conditions, do your health conditions or disabilities impact your experience in the workplace?

• yes, a lot
• yes, a little
• not at all
• prefer not to say

If you answered that your health conditions impact your experience in the workplace, in which ways do your health conditions or disabilities impact your experience in the workplace?

Please select all that apply.

• impacts my productivity
• impacts my relationships with work colleagues and/or my manager
• impacts my earnings
• impacts my opportunities for career progression
• increases my stress levels
• impacts my mental health
• prefer not to say
• other (please specify)

Questions for individuals sharing their personal views, health and social care professionals and academics

What suggestions do you have for how to better support men with health conditions in the workplace? (Optional)

What actions should the strategy take to address the greatest health challenges affecting men and boys? (Optional)

Men’s access, engagement and experience of the health service

Questions for men sharing their lived experiences

Has there been a time in the last 3 years where you have not sought medical help for a health concern?

This is any health concern where you would have benefitted from seeking help from a healthcare professional.

• yes
• no
• prefer not to say

If you answered that you have not sought help for a health concern in the last 3 years, what were the reasons that you did not seek medical help for this health concern?

Please select all that apply.

• anxiety of medical settings
• avoiding dealing with the issue
• cost related concerns
• distrust of medical professionals or treatments
• fear of diagnosis, treatment or mortality
• fear of having to disclose a health condition to my family, friends and/or employer
• felt like the health concern didn’t require medical attention
• felt uncomfortable or too personal to discuss with a medical professional
• hearing, speech or language difficulties
• inconvenient appointment times
• lack of awareness of having a health issue
• lack of specific services for men
• lack of transport or distance to services
• limited availability of services or waiting lists
• negative experience with a health service or professional
• not clear where to go to seek help or not clear what services were available
• not signed up with a GP
• preference for alternative therapy or self-treatment
• societal expectations about how ‘men like me’ should behave about their health
• unable to take time off work to attend appointment
• prefer not to say
• other (please specify)

Have you ever taken part in a health initiative designed especially for men?

This could include a work-place wellbeing programme, a sports-based mental health group or a weight management programme.

• yes
• no
• prefer not to say

What made you decide to take part in a health initiative designed especially for men? (Optional)

Questions for individuals sharing their personal views, health and social care professionals and academics

What actions do you think should be taken to improve how men can access or engage with healthcare services? (Optional)

In the question above, access refers to the ease of reaching and obtaining healthcare services. Engage refers to active use of and participation in healthcare services.

What actions do you think should be taken to improve men and boys’ experience of healthcare services? (Optional)

Submitting further evidence

Data, research and reports from academics and health and social care professionals

If you are an academic or a health and social care professional, you will be asked if you would you like to upload a contribution of data, research or other reports relating to each of the 3 main themes:

• understanding and identifying areas where we can improve support for healthier behaviours
• improving outcomes for health conditions that typically, disproportionately or differently affect men
• improving men’s access, engagement and experience of the health service

Word documents of up to 10 pages will be accepted for each theme. You may upload up to 3 files altogether.

Please draw upon sex-related health inequalities in your response, where possible. Do not include any personal information in your response.

Understanding and identifying areas where we can improve support for healthier behaviours

For this theme, we are particularly interested in:

• your insight into the factors driving behaviours posing a risk to health among men and boys
• your suggestions as to how to improve health-positive behaviours among men and boys
• any gaps in research and evidence

Improving outcomes for health conditions that typically, disproportionately or differently affect men

For this theme, we are particularly interested in:

• your suggestions for improving health outcomes for men and boys, such as on mental health and suicide prevention, cancer and cardiovascular disease
• your views as to what extent services in these areas are currently meeting the needs of men
• your suggestions as to how services for health conditions that affect men can be improved to better meet their needs
• any gaps in data or evidence in these areas

Improving men’s access, engagement and experience of the health service

For this theme, we are particularly interested in:

• examples of solutions that have improved men’s engagement and experience of healthcare services
• recommendations for how healthcare services can improve how they engage men and the experience they offer
• any gaps in data or evidence

Final question for all respondents

You will be asked whether there is anything else you would like to share as part of this call for evidence. This can be regarding any topic that relates either directly or indirectly to men’s health.

If you are responding as a health and social care professional or as an academic, you will be given the option to upload a file if you prefer.

Privacy notice

Over the course of April to July 2025, DHSC will seek the views of individuals and organisations through a call for evidence to inform a Men’s Health Strategy for England. This notice sets out how data collected through this call for evidence will be used and respondents’ rights under Articles 13 and/or 14 the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Data controller

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the data controller.

What personal data we collect

You can respond to the call for evidence through our public survey, including an easy read version, which is completed online.

We will collect data on whether:

• you are responding as an individual, including whether you are responding as a man sharing your lived experiences, as a health or social care professional, as an academic, or if you are responding on behalf of an organisation
• if you are responding as an individual, including as a man sharing your lived experiences, or as a health and social care professional or academic, whether you are aged 16 and over and currently live in England (this is because the survey is only open to those aged 16 and over and living in England)

If volunteered by you, we will also collect data on:

• if you are responding as an individual sharing your own experiences, your sex and your gender identity
• if you are responding as a man sharing your lived experiences, your sex, your gender identity, the area of England you live in and your personal characteristics (including your age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, employment status and industry, physical and mental health conditions)
• if you are responding as a health or social care professional, your sex, your gender identity, the area of England you live in and the type of health or social care professional you are
• any other personal data you include in your response to open-ended questions in the survey. All open-ended questions are prefaced with the comment ‘Do not include any personal information in your response’, in line with DHSC’s request for no personal data other than that given in the optional personal data questions

How we use your data (purposes)

Your data will be treated in the strictest of confidence.  

We collect your personal data as part of the call for evidence process for statistical purposes, for example to understand whether views and experiences vary across demographics and to understand how representative the results are. Data collected will be held securely in SurveyOptic, downloaded and anonymised by DHSC. Aggregated data with statistical controls applied may be shared with other government departments and NHS England.

Free text responses from the call for evidence will be grouped into themes using topic modelling techniques. Analysis is performed by DHSC, and data stored on the DHSC estate.

Legal basis for processing personal data

Under Article 6 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing personal data are:

(e) the processing is necessary to perform a task or function in the public interest or for our official functions and the task or function has a clear basis in law

In addition, we are also processing special category data under the following condition(s) as per Article 9 of the UK GDPR:

(g) reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law) with the substantial public interest condition of statutory and government purposes

Data processors and other recipients of personal data

Responses to the call for evidence will be seen by:

• data scientists, officials working on the Men’s Health Strategy or other relevant areas in DHSC
• DHSC’s third-party supplier (SocialOptic), who is responsible for running and hosting the online survey SurveyOptic

DHSC may also share your responses with the colleagues listed below (data will be anonymised with statistical controls applied):

• individuals supporting this project within DHSC’s executive agencies and/or executive non-departmental public bodies, such as NHS England
• other government departments

For the purposes of any publication, responses will be aggregated with statistical controls applied. Any comments that are quoted to highlight key themes in the data will be anonymised to safeguard against individuals being identified. 

International data transfers and storage locations

Storage of data by DHSC is provided via secure computing infrastructure on servers located in the Azure UK data centres. Our platforms are subject to extensive security protections and encryption measures.

Storage of data by SurveyOptic is provided via secure servers located in the UK.

Retention and disposal policy

Any personal data that you provide will be held by DHSC for a maximum of one year.

SurveyOptic will securely erase the data held on their system one year after the call for evidence online survey closes. This erased data will then be cycled out of SurveyOptic’s back-up storage within 6 to 8 weeks.

Data retention will be reviewed regularly. Anonymised data may be kept indefinitely. 

How we keep your data secure

DHSC uses appropriate technical, organisational and administrative security measures to protect any information we hold in our records from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. We have written procedures and policies which are regularly audited and reviewed at a senior level.

SurveyOptic is Cyber Essentials certified.

Your rights as a data subject

By law, data subjects have a number of rights, and this processing does not take away or reduce these rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 applies.

These rights are:

1. The right to get copies of information - individuals have the right to ask for a copy of any information about them that is used.
2. The right to get information corrected - individuals have the right to ask for any information held about them that they think is inaccurate, to be corrected.
3. The right to limit how the information is used - individuals have the right to ask for any of the information held about them to be restricted, for example, if they think inaccurate information is being used.
4. The right to object to the information being used - individuals can ask for any information held about them to not be used. However, this is not an absolute right, and continued use of the information may be necessary, with individuals being advised if this is the case.
5. The right to get information deleted - this is not an absolute right, and continued use of the information may be necessary, with individuals being advised if this is the case.

Comments or complaints

Anyone unhappy or wishing to complain about how personal data is used as part of this programme, should contact DHSC’s Data Protection Officer:

Email:  data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk

Post:

Data Protection Officer
1st Floor North
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU

Anyone who is still not satisfied can complain to the Information Commissioners Office. Their website address is www.ico.org.uk and their postal address is:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Automated decision-making or profiling

No decision will be made about individuals solely based on automated decision-making (where a decision is taken about them using an electronic system without human involvement) which has a significant impact on them.

Changes to this policy

This privacy notice is kept under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on 24 April 2025.