On 19 November 2025 the government published England’s first Men’s Health Strategy. A year on, with a one-year progress report promised, developed with the Men’s Health Academic Network and the voluntary sector, it is a good moment to look at why it was needed and what can help.
Why a strategy was needed
- Men in England live nearly four years less than women, on average.
- Men’s healthy life expectancy is 61.5 years, and has fallen by 1.5 years over the last decade.
- In 2024, 36% of men died before their 75th birthday.
- Men accounted for three in four suicides in 2024, and suicide is a leading cause of death for men under 50.
- Men in the most deprived areas die more than 10 years earlier than men in the least deprived areas.
Closer to home for us: the North East has the lowest male life expectancy in England, at 77.4 years. VYVE is based in Newcastle, so this is not an abstract statistic.
What the strategy committed to
- £3 million over three years, from April 2026, for community-based men’s health programmes.
- A three-year collaboration with the Premier League to improve men’s health knowledge and engagement where men already are.
- A workplace vanguard, testing employer approaches to men’s health as part of the Keep Britain Working review.
- Continued backing for NHS Active 10 and Couch to 5K, and a social connection campaign through sport in 2026.
- More digital support, including at-home PSA tests from 2027 for men on prostate cancer active monitoring, following clinical validation.
What men say they need
In June 2026 The King’s Fund and the University of York published a study based on focus groups and interviews with 98 men. It is not a representative survey, but what the men said is hard to ignore.
- Every working man in the study raised work when talking about his health, with stress and pressure the most common concerns.
- Most doubted their employer genuinely cared about mental health, and many saw workplace support as tokenistic. Few felt safe telling anyone at work about a mental health problem.
- Many waited until symptoms were severe before seeking help, and described getting a GP appointment as a fight.
- Shared activities, such as walking groups, helped men open up, and men with local friendships benefited from peer support.
What can help
No single organisation can close these gaps. They need the NHS, local services, charities, sport, employers and men themselves. The study calls employers potentially one of the most important partners. Based on what the men said, we think a few practical things help:
- Make support credible, not tokenistic. Leaders and managers talking openly does more than another poster.
- Make it safe to speak early. People seek help sooner when they trust it will not count against them.
- Use activity as a way in. Walking groups, sport and team challenges give men a reason to show up, and the conversations follow.
- Do not wait for a crisis. Support that is there on ordinary days gets used before things become serious.
Where VYVE fits
VYVE exists because of this problem. Our co-founder and CEO, Lewis Vines, reached the lowest point of his life in 2023, struggling with his mental health and addiction. What turned it around was talking honestly, first to himself and then to the people who mattered most. He started a podcast to share what he was learning, and that became VYVE.
VYVE offers the kind of support men in the study described: everyday, low-pressure ways in, like community walks, run clubs, training plans and challenges, alongside daily check-ins, counsellors and group therapy for when talking is needed. It is designed to be there on good days, not only hard ones.
We are one part of a much bigger effort, and we will not pretend otherwise. Our mission is to help make proactive health the norm, so support reaches men before they need it. VYVE is not a crisis service.
If you are struggling right now, you can call Samaritans free, day or night, on 116 123, or see our urgent support page. In an emergency, call 999. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Sources: DHSC, Men's health: a strategic vision for England, November 2025; The King's Fund and University of York, Understanding men's health in England, June 2026.