GPs, nurses, pharmacists and other primary healthcare workers can now access the Movember Men in Mind program, aimed at helping them better engage, support and care for male patients.
The Federal Government has invested $11.3 million to expand the training program, which until now has only been available to mental health practitioners. The expanded program, tailored for primary health workers, will be delivered in partnership with Primary Health Networks across Australia, equipping professionals with practical strategies to build trust and support men to engage earlier and more regularly with healthcare.
Hunter MP and Special Envoy for Men’s Health Dan Repacholi said the program was designed to address the fact that men and boys were often harder to reach through the health system.
“We do know that men and boys are a bit harder to get through to the health professionals, and our health literacy is not as good as our female friends out there,” Mr Repacholi said.
“Anything we can do to really make sure that we’re engaging with men and boys differently to get them to see a health professional is a good thing to try and make sure that more men are here for longer.”
Mr Repacholi pointed to stark figures on the gap in life expectancy, particularly in regional areas.
“Men in the city areas are passing away four years younger than our female friends, and if you go into rural and regional Australia that’s up to 13 years younger,” he said.
He said many men grew up associating a visit to the GP with being seriously unwell, rather than routine care, which discouraged earlier engagement with health services.
Movember research shows around three in five men have delayed seeking care from a GP, while two in three men say they would consider changing health practitioners if they didn’t feel a strong personal connection with them.
