Government launches 'call for evidence' on men’s health in South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire
The call for evidence will inform England’s first ever men’s health strategy to tackle life expectancy gap
Last updated 24th Apr 2025
There's a fresh call for more people in South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire to 'come forward' & 'take part' in England's first ever men's health strategy.
The government are behind the new initiative - they're looking at how to close the life expectancy gap between men and women.
Currently - research shows that suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50.
Lucas Whitehead is from the suicide prevention charity - Andy's Man Club - who run weekly peer support groups for men in across South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire:
"We know that there's a load of problems that men face that they basically don't open up about and don't feel comfortable opening up about.
"We try and encourage guys to open up before it gets too late.
"We realise that we've got problems in this country whereby if you're a man and you feel the need to open up, there's not a lot of options out there.
"Suicide rates nationally have climbed steadily since around the time of the financial crash in the late 2000's, and we want to try and reduce those numbers.
"We have over 280 groups nationwide, with just short of 6,000 men attending those groups every week.
"I think this new national men's health strategy is much needed, even though it's a little bit late in the day.
"It's better late than never though, and what they do need to do is consult members of the public and really build everything off shared experiences.
"This has the power to affect every man living in the UK, so we hope it's not a flash in the pan and it continues for a long time."
The 12-week call for evidence will gather vital insights from the public, health and social care professionals, academics and employers so the government can properly consider how to prevent and tackle the biggest issues facing men from all backgrounds.