Men's Health Forum

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The Men's Health Forum is a registered charity formed on July 5 2001 charity number 1087375. [1]


According to the latest Annual report on their website (for 2002)[2] the Men's Health Forum’s mission is 'to provide an independent and authoritative voice for male health and to tackle the issues affecting the health and well-being of boys and men in England and Wales'.

They aim to achieve this through: • Research and policy development • Professional training • Providing information services • Stimulating professional and public debate • Working with MPs and Government • Developing innovative and imaginative projects • Collaborating with the widest possible range of interested organisations and individuals • Organising the annual National Men’s Health Week

People

  • The Chief Executive of the Men's Health Forum is currently (2008) Peter Baker. Baker was appointed Director in July 2001. Baker was health editor of Maxim magazine from 1995-99, launch editor of malehealth.co.uk, deputy editor of the Men's Health Journal for two years and co-editor of the radical men's magazine Achilles Heel. His first book, The MANual: The complete man’s guide to life, was published in 1996; his latest, Real Health for Men, was published in 2002. Previously he worked for five years as a social policy researcher for the London Research Centre and three years as a press officer for the London Housing Unit. He was Honorary Visiting Research Fellow in Applied Social Studies at Bradford University (1993-95).[3].


The Men's Health Forum's Trustees

As of November 2008 the board of trustees was [8]

Publications

The Forum has previously published two magazines both of which have now closed down.

  • Men's Health Journal The Men's Health Journal was launched in September 2001. It was a quarterly magazine aimed at health and medical professionals published jointly by the Forum and the Medical Education Partnership. It stopped publishing in 2003. Back issues are available from the Forum's website.[11]
  • MHF Magazine The MHF magazine was the quarterly news publication aimed at politicians, policymakers and health professionals. The magazine ran for 11 issues from November 2003 until its funding came to an end in June 2006. Back issues of the magazine are available to download from the Forum's website funded by a grant from Roche Products Ltd. [12]

Male health website

The Forum now hosts a site called Male Health [13] which, it claims, is the most comprehensive men’s health website in the UK. The site is aimed at males of all ages. At its heart is a Health A-Z section which covers 24 common health topics in a clear Q and A format. It includes the Male Body - A User’s Guide, an overview of every part of the male anatomy for beginners.

The Forum states that "The internet is the ideal way for men to access health information...Men’s magazines are providing less and less health information... Websites like MaleHealth will become increasingly important. " [14]


Accounts

For the year ending Mar 2007 the Forum's accounts showed income of

For the year ending Mar 2006 the Forum's accounts showed income of

  • £60,000.000 from Department of Health grants
  • £127,875.00 from pharmaceutical companies[16]

For the year ending Mar 2005 the Forum's accounts showed income of

  • £65,000.000 from Department of Health grants
  • £41,750.00 from pharmaceutical companies[17]

For the year ending Mar 2004 the Forum's accounts showed income of

  • £60,500.000 from Department of Health grants
  • £45,000.00 from the NHS
  • £48,000.00 from pharmaceutical companies[18]


Sponsors and Supporters

Funding for 2006-7

The Forum also received in-kind support from:

Funding for 2006

The Men's Health Forum (England and Wales) received £48,000 and the Men's Health Forum (Scotland) received £2000 from Pfizer [20]

The Men's Health Forum (England & Wales) also commenced 'partnership' with Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (the UK subsidiary of Merck and Co. Inc.). [21]

Funding for 2004-5

The forum also received support from

The Forum also received in-kind support from:

  • British In-Vitro Diagnostic Association (the national trade association for companies with major involvement and interest in the In Vitro Diagnostics industry [25]) – the regular free use of meeting rooms;
  • 8ml – hosting of websites;
  • Harrison Cowley – PR support for National Men’s Health Week 2004.


Transparency

The Men's Health Forum has a policy in regard to its relations with corporate industry which states that...

'The Forum has relied – and still depends – heavily on corporate support in particular for a significant proportion of its core and project costs. It is essential, therefore, that the Forum establishes a strict, clear and transparent policy for collaboration and partnership. Such a policy will benefit both the Forum and other organisations by ensuring that the Forum remains independent and autonomous and that there can be no actual or perceived improper influence on its work'[26].

The Men's Health Forum may voice a commitment to transparency in policy, yet this is lacking in practice. The most recent figures (listed as 'current') for its corporate sponsorship dates back to 2004/05. As Miller sums up in his article on SpinWatch [27]...

'Whether, there is any actual improper influence on its work is difficult to tell, since the forum does not disclose the funding it 'depends on' from the private sector. Nor does it detail what it is for and what proportion of its budget is from private sources'.

Affiliations

  • The European Men's Health Forum (EMHF) was set up as an initiative by the Men's Health Forum. In 2007, Ian Banks holds the position of President on both Forums and Alan White (Chair of Trustees for the Men's Health Forum) also sits on the Board of Directors for the EMHF[30].



Contact

Men's Health Forum. Tavistock House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HR

Tel: 020 7388 4449 Fax: 020 7388 4477

Email: office@menshealthforum.org.uk

Website: http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/

Notes

  1. Charities Commission The Men's Health Forum, Accessed November 20 2008
  2. Men's Health Forum Annual Report 2002 Accessed 4th December 2007
  3. Men's Health Forum Who's who at the MHF, Accessed November 21 2008
  4. Men's Health Forum Who's Who at the MHF? Accessed 6th December 2007
  5. EMHF Board of Directors Accessed 20th December 2007
  6. BMA Members of the BMA Council Accessed 24th December 2007
  7. Men's Health Forum Who's who at the MHF, Accessed November 21 2008
  8. Men's Health Forum Who's Who at the MHF?, Accessed November 19 2008
  9. DeVille Almond Home page, Accessed November 21 2008
  10. Ruralnet UK Trustees, Accessed November 21 2008
  11. Men's Health Forum Men's Health Journal, Accessed November 25 2008
  12. Men's Health Forum MHF Magazine, Accessed November 25 2008
  13. Male Health Home page, Accessed November 25 2008
  14. Men Health Forum Male Health, Accessed November 25 2008
  15. Charities Commission Men's Health Forum Accounts 2007, Accessed November 20 2008
  16. Charities Commission Men's Health Forum Accounts 2007, Accessed November 20 2008
  17. Charities Commission Men's Health Forum Accounts 2005, Accessed November 20 2008
  18. Charities Commission Men's Health Forum Accounts 2005, Accessed November 20 2008
  19. Men's health Forum Sponsors & Supporters Accessed 19 November 2008
  20. Pfizer Our Partnership With Patient Organisations Accessed 13th december 2007
  21. MSD UK Patient Groups Accessed 13th December 2007
  22. Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health website Accessed 4th December 2007
  23. Water UK website Accessed 4th December 2007
  24. Men's health Forum Sponsors & Supporters Accessed 6th December 2007
  25. DIVDA website Accessed 4th December 2007
  26. Men's Health Forum Sponsorship policy and relations with commercial and other organisations Accessed 24th December 2007
  27. Miller, D. (2006) Dr Ian Gibson MP has said he feels 'very silly and stupid ' about his support for Cancer United Spinwatch. Accessed 24th December 2007
  28. Men's Health Forum ScotlandHome, Accessed November 21 2008
  29. Men's Health Forum IrelandHome,Accessed November 21 2008
  30. EMHF Board of Directors Accessed 24th December 2007
  31. Men's Health Forum All Party Group on Men's Health Accessed November 21 2008