Our CEO and Policy and Influencing Lead attend Labour Party Conference in Liverpool

Our CEO Ellen O’Donoghue and Policy and Influencing Lead Paul Ricci were at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week to ensure the voices and experiences of men in crisis were part of key discussions on men’s health and mental health.

Yesterday, the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys hosted a roundtable bringing together Amanda Martin MP, David Burton-Sampson MP, Mayor David Skaith, and a wide range of organisations, from Samaritans, to Sean’s Place, to discuss the practical actions needed to improve men’s health outcomes. Ellen and Paul contributed to the discussion on behalf of James’ Place.

During the discussion, Ellen and Paul called for:

– A focus on scaling concepts and services like James’ Place and Sean’s Place up across the country to meet more of the unmet needs of men in serious distress who are not being engaged through other healthcare services.
– The need for consistent, flexible and easier to access funding to enable organisations like ours to scale at pace
– A joined-up approach that matches increased awareness, signposting and referrals with the funding and community partnerships needed to deliver support.
– Better training for frontline healthcare professionals to recognise the different ways men and boys may present distress, including humour, minimising difficulties, or speaking about related issues such as sleep deprivation rather than the underlying crisis.

Reflecting on the discussion, Paul said:

“James’ Place stops men dying by suicide because community partners connect men in crisis to the free, life-saving therapy we provide. Scaling this requires real cross-sector collaboration across local government and healthcare, paired with simple, sustainable funding and clear signposting.”

We look forward to continuing these conversations and working with our partners to create a future where fewer men reach crisis point and more can access the support they need.