Our team to tackle men's health in Lambeth and Southwark

The MHF has its team in place for its biggest-ever men's health improvement project.

Following the launch of the five-year Men’s Health Improvement Programme for Lambeth and Southwark, the Men’s Health Forum has now recruited the staff needed to examine the health needs of men in these boroughs.

Project Officer (community development) Errol Franklin and Project Officer (business and service development) Damian Shannon will work with local communities to see what men's needs are and to develop new health services that could be launched in other localities too. They'll be linking up with Steve Zwolinsky, a research officer from the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Errol said: ‘A priority for the project is to engage with local men of Lambeth and Southwark to find out about their health concerns, the way services are being accessed, and how best to deliver services acceptable to men.’ Damian said it was critical to begin by ‘engaging with men as much as possible’.

MHF has 'strong record'

Lambeth and Southwark lag behind the national average with a life expectancy of only 77 and 78.2 years for men, compared to other boroughs, such as Kensington and Chelsea, where the life expectancy of men is over 85 years.

Oliver Smith, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Guy's and St Thomas' Charity, who are backing the innovative MHF project, is enthusiastic about the programme’s success. He said: ‘The shorter life expectancy in men when compared to women is an inequality that is often overlooked. MHF has a strong record in addressing this issue and we are pleased to be funding this exciting and ground breaking work.’

MHF CEO Martin Tod added: ‘We are excited to have the chance to make a real difference to men's health in Lambeth and Southwark. We believe this is the largest and most concentrated effort ever made to improve male health in one particular area. Although we're starting in one area, this project will have a national impact.’