GPs play a vital role in supporting men’s health, uniquely positioned to promote a proactive and holistic approach to their care and to address the disparities in health outcomes that men face. Men continue to live shorter, less healthy lives than women, and they often delay or avoid seeking care, leading to potentially more serious health issues.
General practice is an ideal setting to change this pattern, where men can be offered preventive screening, lifestyle guidance, and supportive conversations around physical, sexual, and mental health. A GP’s skills in engaging men effectively at every opportunity, recognising male-specific presentations, and addressing sensitive issues like erectile dysfunction or mental distress are key.
With Movember approaching, now is the perfect time to highlight the GP’s role in supporting men’s health and wellbeing.
Why focus on men’s health?
Men face poorer health outcomes than women, often linked to a reluctance to seek help. Societal expectations of self-reliance and masculinity discourage many men from discussing health concerns, particularly around mental or sexual health or physical changes that could indicate serious illness. As a result, men frequently delay seeking care, meaning conditions are often diagnosed at later stages when they are harder to treat. Men also attend general practice less often than women, especially in the 20–50 age group, and when they do, it is usually for acute rather than preventive issues.
This creates missed opportunities for health screening and early intervention, despite men being at higher risk of experiencing and dying from preventable problems such as heart disease, certain cancers, and suicide. Lifestyle factors compound these risks, with men more likely than women to smoke, drink excessively, eat poorly, work in hazardous occupations, and engage in unsafe sex or risk-taking behaviours.
The consequences are stark: men live on average four years less than women in the UK, with 20% dying before they reach the age of 65 and 40% before 75.
The government has recognised the need for a focus on men’s health, with the Men’s Health Strategy for England set to form part of the 10 Year Health Plan. Between June and July 2025, a call for evidence sought ideas and evidence to inform the development of this strategy.
Common issues for men’s physical health
To support men’s health effectively, GPs need a broad understanding of the physical, sexual, and mental health issues that disproportionately affect men. Common physical health issues that men may present with in general practice include:
Cancers
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in England, with risk factors including ageing, Black ethnicity, and family history. GPs need familiarity with guidelines on diagnostic and referral pathways, including knowing how to discuss the pros and cons of PSA testing with asymptomatic patients who request a test.
GPs should also be aware of symptoms as well as screening and referral guidelines for other cancers that affect men, including bowel, skin, testicular and penile cancers.
Cardiovascular disease
Men are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease and are twice as likely as women to die prematurely because of it. However, they are also less likely to attend an NHS health check, meaning that they miss receiving the advice and services available to manage their risk of heart attack, stroke and other related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.
The Royal College of General Practice (RCGP) has published a guide to cardiovascular health as part of its curriculum, which summarises the role of GPs in this field. GPs need to be familiar with guidelines for proactively assessing and managing risk factors in men, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and lifestyle factors.
Sexual, hormonal and urological health
GPs should be confident in discussing sexual, hormonal and urological health conditions in a sensitive manner, since many men are embarrassed and reluctant to seek advice on these issues. Common conditions that may be encountered include genital abnormalities, prostatitis (acute or chronic), lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), infertility, sexually-transmitted infections, male pattern hair loss as well as erectile dysfunction and testosterone deficiency.
It is important to be aware of the link between erectile dysfunction, testosterone deficiency, and type 2 diabetes, which means that when a patient is diagnosed with any one of these conditions, their GP should assess them for the others.
Lifestyle and occupational risks
Men are more likely than women to adopt unhealthy lifestyle habits, work in physically demanding or hazardous environments, and engage in behaviours that increase their risk of illness and injury. This makes it vital for GPs to take a proactive role in addressing these lifestyle issues during consultations.
By initiating open and non-judgemental conversations about alcohol and substance use, smoking, diet, weight management, sexual health, sleep quality, stress, and occupational safety, GPs can help men recognise and manage potential risks earlier.
Older men’s physical health
When consulting with older men, GPs should take a holistic approach, often working together with other specialties and community organisations to ensure men feel supported to maintain quality of life, independence, and dignity as they age. GPs should pay careful attention to prostate and urinary health, ongoing sexual health, lifestyle factors, frailty, the risk of falls and osteoporosis, symptoms of cancer, hearing and vision, and ensuring routine vaccinations are up to date. Cognitive function is also an important consideration, with screening for dementia playing an important role. Chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory illness should be closely monitored, alongside regular reviews of medication use to prevent complications.
The RCGP curriculum includes a topic guide covering the GP’s role in the care of older adults.
Caring for men’s mental health
Men may be reluctant to seek help for mental distress, so GPs need to be alert to possible mental health problems, which are often interlinked with physical health conditions. Left untreated, mental health issues may have serious consequences. Men are disproportionately affected by suicide, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of deaths by suicide in 2023, and mental health conditions in men may also contribute to chronic physical illness, substance misuse, relationship breakdowns, and workplace difficulties.
The RCGP recommends that GPs take additional training about mental health problems and be particularly alert to signs of suicidal behaviour in men. It is vital for GPs to be aware of assessment tools and diagnostic criteria for mental health conditions since early recognition and intervention can prevent deterioration, enhance wellbeing, encourage healthy coping strategies, and enable timely referral to secondary mental health services when necessary. NICE guidelines on mental health cover recommendations for identifying and managing mental health conditions.
Importantly, GPs need to have the skills to sensitively handle discussions with men about mental health problems, being aware that while some patients have mental illness requiring referral to specialist support, others may value the opportunity to talk and to receive advice and support. Consultations should be conducted in a supportive, non-judgmental manner to normalise talking about mental health.
The RCGP mental health toolkit is a useful resource, containing a collection of relevant guidelines and other resources for healthcare professionals and patients.
Taking a proactive approach to men’s healthcare
General practice is often the primary access point for engaging men in healthcare. However, many men wait until they have an acute or serious problem to go to the GP, which limits the chances for early identification and management of health conditions.
Therefore, GPs need to take a proactive approach, using every appointment as an opportunity to provide targeted health advice and to promote participation in screening and intervention programmes. They should be aware of the barriers that commonly prevent men seeking early advice and use a patient-centred approach to engage them in care. This may mean facilitating access to appointments in a tailored way and communicating with men about sensitive health topics using clear, direct and non-judgmental language to build trust and encourage open discussion.
Additional resources on men’s health
The RCGP delivers education and community networking for primary care professionals with an interest in men’s health:
- One day essentials: education on men’s health from the RCGP.
- RCGP Men’s Health Special Interest Group.
- GPonline’s collection of articles to support the RCGP curriculum on men’s health.
The NHS provides information for:
- Patients: Men’s health.
- NHS employees: Men’s health and wellbeing hub.
- NHS employers: Men’s health guidance.
Various charities also offer resources to support men’s health education:
- Movember: Men’s Health Awareness Month is designed to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
- Men’s Health Forum: supporting men’s health in England, Wales and Scotland, and offering The Man Manual, a book highly commended by the BMA Patient Information Awards.
- Men’s Health Guide from the World Cancer Research Fund, about common cancers affecting men and how to reduce the risk.
There is increasing recognition that to improve men’s health outcomes, a proactive and targeted strategy is needed, and GPs are in a prime position to address this challenge. If you want to know more about being protected to practice men’s health, contact Medical Defense Society today.
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