Salford Royal Hospital 1st March 2013

‘Exploring positive interventions when working with Men’

I was asked by the Hospital to provide a presentation/workshop for frontline staff at the Hospital that explored the barriers in getting men to access health services and to explore some positive interventions.

The workshop was really informative. I learnt from frontline staff about the problems they have in engaging men.
A lot of reasons came up for men not accessing services, with the most significant being men not being comfortable in ‘not being in control’. Hence, we explored interventions that would place men in a position of control.

It was interesting to hear that senior aged men were particularly difficult to work with. One reason put forward was that they were used to living ‘hard lives’ and not to ask for help and in a way to be quite fatalist about their own health.

I’ll be returning to the Hospital in June, to again provide a presentation and to facilitate other presentations all around the theme of engaging more with men and improving male health.

The trustee’s of the Hospital will be in attendance and there can be no doubt that Salford Royal Hospital are being really proactive in seeking new ways to engage with men and to ultimately improve their lives.

Looping And Linking

In 2012, I contacted The Whitworth Art Gallery, as a possible venue for the book launch of Tall
Stories for Tall Men Who Fall Well Short.

Wendy Gallagher, Arts for Health Coordinator contacted me asking if I’d be interested in working
with groups of men on the project, with an aid to improving health and well being through poetry.

The resulting project was a series of interactive workshops with young people at The Powerhouse
Library, Moss Side, a group of over 50’s from Out in The City and men in their 90’s from a local care
home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project explored the life of Angus McPhee a selective mute, from The Outer Hebrides, who spent 50 years in a Mental Institution, who produced stunning and practical weaved products from grass in the gardens of the hospital.

The project was about expression and having a voice.

A group poem produced by Out in The City and facilitated by me is currently exhibited at The
Manchester Museum and can be heard as you enter the museum.

Fatherhood Project

Research emphasises that a father’s influence has beneficial effects on a young man’s behaviour,
attitude and well being.

In acknowledgement of this and reflecting commissioning intentions, in 2012, The Manchester
NHS, Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Team established a steering group to develop a project on
young men and fatherhood, which I was invited to be a part of, along with Tom Cole (Salford Young
Father’s Project) and Simon Locke (Barnardos) Peter Smith and Josanne Cowell (Manchester NHS,
Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Team).

The team wanted to undertake work which –

• highlighted the realities of fatherhood for young men
• promoted safer sex and condom use for young men who don’t want to be fathers
• addressed unintended repeat conceptions amongst young fathers

The resulting project was two, ten minute interactive theatre pieces. Written after a series of
structured and semi structured interviews with young fathers in Salford, by myself and my good
friend Martin Stannage.

The plays were performed at The Contact Theatre in December 2012, in conjunction with Playback
Theatre Company, hosted by Baba Israel and directed by Cheryl Martin.

The plays were superbly performed and received excellent critical feedback from those that
attended. We are exploring future development of this much needed work.