Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has announced plans for a men's health strategy.

The plans were announced at a Men’s Health Summit held in partnership with Movember, and hosted by Arsenal and the Premier League.

The strategy will look at how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men, including cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer and testicular cancer, as well as mental health and suicide prevention.

The strategy will form a key part of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan to fix the NHS.

A call for evidence will ask for views on what is working and what more needs to be done to close the life expectancy gap between men and women.

Streeting said: "It can be hard to be a young man in today’s society, particularly for boys from backgrounds like mine.

"We’re seeing mental ill-health on the rise, and the shocking fact that suicide is the biggest killer for men under the age of 50. Preventable killers like heart disease and prostate cancer are being caught far too late.  

"Just as we are determined to end the injustices women face in healthcare, we won’t shy away from the need to focus on men’s health too. This government will publish a men’s health strategy to tackle these problems head on.

"I am pleased to have brought together leading campaigners, experts, and the Premier League to gather ideas and inform our strategy and our Ten Year Plan."

According to figures, men die nearly four years earlier than women and are disproportionally affected by a number of health conditions including some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

At the same time, those in the most deprived areas in England expected to live almost 10 years less than those in the least deprived. 

The strategy will be unveiled next year and the call for evidence will be launched in due course.

Michelle Terry, CEO of Movember, said: "Today is a significant step forward in transforming the face of men’s health. We are delighted that the UK government has committed to a men’s health strategy.

"When we improve men’s health, we know that the benefits can ripple through families, communities, societies and the economy. This will transform the lives of men, but also their wives, mothers, sisters, partners, mates, neighbours, children, teachers and doctors.

"We stand ready to work with other leaders in men’s health and the Secretary of State to make the men’s health strategy a reality that brings real change to lives up and down the country."