Minister for Men’s Health: FOI release

Information requested

I note the recent appointment of a Minister for Public Health and Woman’s Health. I wish to be informed as to who the Minister for Men’s Health is. I believe that role is particularly important given the 4-year disparity between male and female life expectancy in Scotland.

Response

Ministerial responsibility for whole population health – including health outcomes for men – through policy on wider determinants, on health harming behaviours, and on health and social care services are the collective responsibility of Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health & Social Care; Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health and Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and Minister for Drugs & Alcohol Policy.

The remit of the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health includes responsibility for the Women’s Health Plan which underpins actions to improve women’s health inequalities by raising awareness around women’s health, improving access to health care and reducing inequalities in health outcomes for girls and women, both for sex-specific conditions and in women’s general health.

The Minister also has lead responsibility for health inequalities in general. This includes inequalities experienced in relation to gender. We are targeting our actions in areas and communities most in need to avoid widening inequalities further.

As part of our efforts to improve whole population health, we are undertaking a range of work across the Scottish Government to increase life expectancy and lower levels of avoidable mortality.

We know that socioeconomic inequalities are a main driver of health inequalities, and so we are working to tackle public health issues that disproportionately affect men. For example, two thirds of alcoholspecific deaths in 2021 were males, and alcohol-related hospital stays in Scotland were 2.3 times higher among men. Our Alcohol Framework (published 20 November 2018) sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol-related harm.

We know that socioeconomic inequalities are a main driver of health inequalities, and so we are working to tackle public health issues that disproportionately affect men. For example, two thirds of alcoholspecific deaths in 2021 were males, and alcohol-related hospital stays in Scotland were 2.3 times higher among men. Our Alcohol Framework (published 20 November 2018) sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol-related harm.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a range of work to support the mental health and wellbeing of men across Scotland. We are using sport as a way to reach men to talk about their mental health, and will continue to look at new ways of reaching and supporting men in a way that meets their specific needs.

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