Men's Health Forum

The Men’s Health Forum is the voice for the health and wellbeing of men and boys in England and Wales.

Our goal is the best possible physical and mental health and wellbeing for all men and boys. There is one premature male death every five minutes and far too many men and boys suffer from health problems that could be prevented.

What we believe:

  • There is an urgent need to tackle the unnecessarily and unacceptably poor health and wellbeing of men and boys.
  • The health of the whole population should be improved through an approach that takes full account of the needs of both sexes.
  • Men and boys should be able to live healthy and fulfilling lives, whatever their backgrounds.

We work to achieve this through:

  • Policy development, research and lobbying
  • Supporting other organisations and services to engage more effectively with boys and men on health issues
  • Leading the annual National Men’s Health Week
  • Publishing the award-winning range of mini manual health booklets for men
  • Running the unique ‘consumer’ website for men - www.malehealth.co.uk
  • Working with MPs and government
  • Developing innovative and imaginative best practice projects
  • Training service providers and others
  • Collaborating with the widest possible range of interested organisations and individuals.

MHF was founded by the Royal College of Nursing in 1994 and became an independent charity in 2001. The Forum works across a number of health and related issues.

These include:

  • Cancer
  • Mental health
  • Workplace health
  • Diet and exercise
  • Access to primary care.

Our work focuses particularly on those groups of men with the worst health and we are striving to ensure that we take account of the diversity of men and their needs.

Successes include our campaigns for a screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysms in older men and for the National Chlamydia Screening Programme to target young men as well as women. As a direct result of our work, Department of Health policy on pharmacy requires services to address the needs of men and national cancer policy also takes account of gender differences.

In 2009, we became a strategic partner of the Department of Health. In 2013 we were appointed as a strategic partner of the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England. This programme sees us working alongside government to help health providers and third sector organisations improve the health of men and boys.

See more at: www.menshealthforum.org.uk

Charity No: 1087375