Leeds is leading the way as a councillor was chosen to be the lead person for a men’s health project.
There has been no uniform structure to develop a strategy as Leeds City Council have done to another groups. With the running project and a roadmap being planned, this will benefit boys and men in terms of health outcomes.
The health service is seen to have some issues, especially with its rising costs. Councillor Paul Wray, the first men’s health champion in Leeds, said: “So men entering primary healthcare, emergency healthcare and the adult social care sector much later on and it also costs a lot more. There is not only a personal cost to those men and boys, there is actually a much wider societal cost in terms of the health service and the social care service that we provide.”
However, there is now a place for men to talk about their health and seek help. Men’s Health Unlocked is a network of different charities, the NHS and Leeds City Council supporting men’s physical and mental health. They organise network meetings to provide research opportunities and collaboration to help men get better.
The organisations in the meeting focus on providing information for a report submitted to the Health Select Commitee. They also work around what the future of the men’s health strategy would be.
The coordinator of Men’s Health Unlocked, Damian Dawtry, said that more things needed to be done to improve the support system for men in Leeds: “Everyone is having a hard time at the moment in terms of social care.
“There are very few organisations in Leeds that that are specifically just for men. It does need to be more. Men don’t go to the doctors because of their unhealthy gender norms, because of the way they look at themselves.”
