Making services meaningful for men

Sunderland City Council commissioned Stand in March 2024 to conduct an engagement project to identify what could be done to increase male participation in health promotion and community based services. The aim was to gather insights, develop practical tools, and share findings with partners across the city.

 

The project began with a thorough insight gathering phase. This included a literature review to understand the wider trends and potential strategies for improving male engagement in health and community services. Stand also engaged with key stakeholders, including public health officials, community leaders, and service providers, to contextualise findings from the literature and gain localised insights.

 

To engage directly with men across Sunderland, Stand conducted a series of face-to-face meetings, online sessions, and telephone interviews to hear their experiences, challenges, and suggestions for improving service access. A total of 40 men participated in these discussions, providing a wealth of qualitative data.

 

Using the insights gathered, Stand developed a comprehensive toolkit designed to help health promotion and community-based services make practical changes to better engage men.

 

The toolkit focused on six key areas:

 

• Develop health literacy: Making health information accessible and relevant to men.
• Design of services: Tailoring services to meet men’s specific needs.
• Be flexible and go where men are: Meeting men in their environments rather than expecting them to come to traditional health settings.
• Provide positive first experiences: Ensuring the initial engagement is positive to encourage continued participation.
• Embed diversity and inclusion: Addressing different needs across diverse male populations.
• Foster a sense of achievement: Creating pathways for men to become advocates, volunteers, or facilitators in their communities.

 

The toolkit included best practice examples and guidance to access additional resources, ensuring it could be easily applied across a variety of services.

 

To ensure the findings were effectively shared and applied, Stand hosted a series of insight-sharing events attended by 30 partners. These sessions provided a platform to discuss the toolkit, gather feedback, and explore collaborative opportunities for improving male engagement in health services.

 

The project successfully delivered a practical and actionable toolkit that is now being used by health promotion and community-based services across Sunderland. The toolkit’s focus on health literacy, service flexibility, and fostering meaningful relationships has been particularly well-received by stakeholders. Insight-sharing events further cemented a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities around male engagement in health services.

 

A representative from Sunderland City Council said:

 

“Working closely with Stand, we were able to turn learning and insights into practical tools to help our partners engage more men effectively, ultimately ensuring they receive the support they need.”