An unfilled prescription: Tapping pharmacy's potential to boost men's health (15 June 2026)

Summary

This report from the Men's Health Forum examines the role of community pharmacy in improving men’s health in the UK, the theme of Men’s Health Week 2026. The report sets out a five-point plan that pharmacies should adopt to become a male-friendly pharmacy, which encourages more men to engage.

Content

This report’s findings are Based on a survey from a UK-wide poll in 2025 exploring men’s evolving attitudes to health and pharmacy. The report highlighted the following key themes emerging from this:

• Privacy as a prerequisite: Without genuinely private, professional spaces, men are unlikely to open up.
• Environment and culture matter: Pharmacies often still feel feminised and transactional, deterring men from engagement.
• Trust is built through relationships: Men respond to respectful, non-patronising interactions and consistent positive experiences.
• Meet men where they are: Outreach in community settings and constructive engagement with online and AI-based health information are essential.
• Services, not sales: The future of community pharmacy might well lie in healthcare services commissioned by the NHS, not retail.