Movember Responds To Government’s Call For Evidence On Mental Health And Wellbeing For Mental Health Bill

The Department for Health and Social Care are currently requesting evidence ahead of the development of a new cross-government, 10-year plan for mental health and wellbeing for England. They have also this week published their draft Mental Health Bill, which will reform the Mental Health Act 1983.

Responding to these announcements, Sarah Coghlan, Global Director of Men’s Health Promotion, said:

“Movember welcomes all new action that aims to better support the population’s mental health. Over the last decade, Movember has worked to understand the extent of, and reasons behind, the current mental health crisis in this country, and specifically the factors which lead to three out of four suicide deaths in England each year being in males. A joined-up approach from Government to mental health is undoubtedlyrequired and our response to the call for evidence will focus on a multitude of factors including education, employment, and health services, all of which are in some way contributing to the mental health burden but can equally serve as places and spaces for support.”

“We would like to thank our Movember community who have shared their personal experiences with us, which are currently being compiled into a response to the Government. Our research from last year showed that 81% of men agreed that their mental health was worse now than ever before and 66% agreed that living through COVID-19 may have changed their mental health forever.However, the pandemic has prompted public discourse about the importance of mental health and wellbeing, and we now have a unique opportunity to revolutionise approaches which can positively impact our population.”

“Changes to the Mental Health Bill will be an essential update to a piece of legislation that is currently not fit for purpose. Specifically, we support the changes which result in people receiving more personalised care which they can influence. Our work with men shows that no two men are the same and there is a need to increase empathy and understanding of an individual’s unique background and experiences. The data shows certain demographics and communities are more at risk from mental health problems. We would like to see the next rounds of review strongly consider how the bill can ensure equity for all and consider the impact of masculinities and the male experience.We will now continue to review the draft bill and further consider how our knowledge of men’s mental health could support its development".