The countdown begins: MHF on gender duty

With less than six months to go until the Gender Duty becomes law, the MHF is launching its report 'What the Gender Duty will mean for the health of men'.

The report is available at the new section of the Forum's website dedicated to the gender duty. It has the easy-to-remember shorthand address: www.mhfgenderduty.org.uk.

MHF CEO Peter Baker said: 'The new Gender Duty requires public bodies including the NHS to actively promote equality between men and women. Since men do worse in many areas of health, specific actions will be needed to improve male health'.

The Forum is calling for action in the following areas if the gender duty is to achieve its potential:

• From now onwards, data should be routinely collected, presented and considered in gender-disaggregated form at PCT level.
• Strategic Health Authorities should appoint a 'gender lead' to champion the issue at the local level.
• There must also be a recognition of the need to fund training and information provision, centrally and locally.
• Examples of good practice in this field are few and far between and often difficult to locate. There is a need for a central database of good practice.
• PCTs should set up formal consultation processes with men (such as a standing advisory group). At a national level, the Department of Health should institute an advisory group specifically to address the issue of gender equality.
• PCTs should review all existing targets and consider re-writing them to take account of gender differences. It is also strongly recommended that PCTs express all future local targets in gender disaggregated terms.
• Enforcement bodies, such as the Equal Opportunities Commission and, from October 2007, the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights, must be given the resources to fulfill their role effectively. Inspectorate bodies, such as the Healthcare Commission, should be given a clear responsibility to monitor the implementation of the gender duty. Patient organisations also have a vital role here

Further information and downloads here.