A £6.3m fund has launched to tackle widening health inequalities among underserved men in England, as data shows stark gaps in life expectancy across the country.
Help for deprived communities
The Men’s Health Community Fund, led by People’s Health Trust in partnership with the UK government and Movember, will invest in grassroots organisations working with men and older boys in the country’s most deprived areas. Focusing on key life stages such as job loss, fatherhood and retirement, the programme aims to address underlying pressures including poor housing, low income and mental health challenges.
Government figures show men in the most disadvantaged areas can die up to 11 years earlier than those in wealthier parts. Healthy life expectancy has fallen to 60.7 years and drops as low as 50.9 years in some regions.
John Hume, Chief Executive, People’s Health Trust, said: “We design approaches that work for men and connect them with essential support through organisations and people they trust. This programme enables us to address the widening and avoidable inequalities in health experienced by different groups of men across the country.”
The fund builds on the government’s Men’s Health Strategy for England, announced in November 2025, and is set to open for applications in summer 2026, with grants awarded later in the year. It prioritises community-led initiatives, reflecting evidence that men are more likely to seek help through trusted local networks rather than formal healthcare settings.
Rising male mortality rates
The launch comes amid growing concern over male mortality, with more than one in three men in England dying before the age of 75. Experts point to a mix of social inequality, low help-seeking and late diagnosis as key drivers, alongside higher rates of conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and suicide.
The pharmaceutical industry response has been mixed, with some backing the fund while calling for wider reform. Androlabs, a company focused exclusively on men’s health, says the investment must be matched by system-level change.
Charlie Bryant, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Androlabs, said: “Community programmes can open the door, but the healthcare system has to be ready when men walk through it. This isn’t just about funding projects; it’s about fundamentally rethinking how we approach men’s health.”
Featured image: Viacheslav Yakobchuk on Adobe Stock
