Nurses must do more to champion men’s mental health and flag male patients to domestic abuse and suicide support services, those among the profession have urged.
Nursing staff from across primary and secondary care settings shared their personal and professional experiences of male mental and physical health support at a debate at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress in Liverpool last week.
The debate, which at first focused on support for men who experience domestic abuse, developed into a wider discussion around supporting male family members and peers – particularly given high rates of male suicide and the stigma that can prevent men from accessing health services.
A health visitor’s view
One nurse, Ewout Jackson, who is a trained health visitor, stressed the need for community nurses to flag male patients to relevant support services when visiting families and patients at home.
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He described how health visitors will ‘very often’ and ‘understandably’ be discussing women’s health with families, especially following mother’s pregnancy and birth, but warned that men are ‘often overlooked’ during pre- and post-natal care delivery.
‘They are often overlooked. They talk to me about their midwifery appointments and that they are sitting in a corner and not being spoken to,’ Mr Jackson said.
He also suggested healthcare professionals do not always routinely ask men if they are in a ‘safe relationship’, even though this question is commonly asked of women.
Mr Jackson called on attendees to make sure ‘every contact matters’.
‘We are going into people’s spaces [and] I feel very privileged for the job that I do, and we are going into these homes and able to have these conversations with these families who are telling us that actually they do not feel seen,’ he explained.
‘Do what we do best and actually observe and see and take account of what we can do to push forward this agenda of men’s health,’ he added.
Calls for a men’s mental health forum
Another nurse speaker, George Xavier, called on the RCN to create a men’s mental health forum for members to access for clinical advice and emotional support.
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He highlighted how men make up only 11% of UK nursing staff.
‘Many of us are the only men in our wards and units, sometimes that makes us feel isolated and left alone, but we don’t speak out, because this has not been taught to us,’ Mr Xavier said.
‘We have always been taught to be tough and strong. But being strong and tough doesn’t mean we need to be silent.’
He added: ‘Let’s create a male mental health forum, it’s not taking anything away from anyone, but just improving men’s support.’
He also suggested the union introduce male health and safety representatives to talk to provide one on one guidance for male members seeking wellbeing support.
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The resolution: That this meeting of RCN Congress condemns the lack of availability of practical, psychological and emotional support mechanisms for men who experience domestic abuse, passed overall.
Last month, the government launched a call for nurse evidence for its first-of-its-kind Men’s Health Strategy.
