The Greater London Authority Health Committee met to discuss men's mental health in London, delegating authority to Councillor Emma Best, Chair of the Health Committee, to agree on an output from the discussion. The committee also discussed weight loss medications in London and reviewed responses from the Mayor of London to previous committee reports.

Men's Mental Health in London

The committee continued its discussion on men's mental health in London, hearing from expert witnesses and considering potential actions to improve services and outcomes.

• Government's Men's Health Strategy: The committee discussed the government's upcoming men's health strategy and what the committee would like to see included in it. Councillor Best asked the panel what they would like to see in the strategy. Karen Bonner MBE, Regional Chief Nurse, London Region, NHS England, said she would like to see a focus on racial disparities . Dr Billy Boland, Regional Clinical Director for Mental Health, London Region, NHS England, agreed, and said there should also be a focus on LGBTQ+ people, and tackling physical health issues of people with mental illness. Dan Barrett, Director, Thrive LDN and Good Thinking, and Co-Director, Population Health Improvement UK Mental Health Consortium, said there was a need to focus on help-seeking behaviour, and that co-development and codesign with men and different groups of men was needed. Dr Tom Coffey OBE, Mayoral Health Advisor, said he would focus on addressing the stigma around men's mental health.

• Advertising on TfL: Councillor Andrew Boff raised the possibility of advertising mental health support on Transport for London (TfL) services. Dr Coffey agreed to raise this with [Sir] Sadiq [Khan, Mayor of London] at their next meeting with the Regional Director.

• Right to Thrive: Councillor Best questioned Mr Barrett about the Right to Thrive programme, particularly about projects that focused on men. She noted that she had struggled to find information online about the projects mentioned, and asked for clarification on whether the Bangladeshi Mental Health Forum One-to-One Culturally Appropriate Mental Health Wellbeing Signposting Service was specifically a men's service. Mr Barrett agreed to provide more information to the Assembly. Councillor Best suggested that the Right to Thrive grant system could be clearer about welcoming projects that particularly support men.

• Mental Health Act: Councillor Best sought clarification from Ms Bonner and Dr Boland about the use of the Mental Health Act, particularly in relation to racial disparities. She wanted to ensure that people were not being overlooked for sectioning out of a concern for the figures looking bad. Dr Boland confirmed that the aim was to support everybody in crisis and to ensure that people are accessing treatment earlier.

• Access to Services: Marina Ahmad AM raised the issue of a 'postcode lottery' in mental health service provision, where the availability of services varies depending on the borough. Ms Bonner acknowledged that there is variation and that it needs to be reduced. She offered to share the Mental Health Strategy that was published in May 2025, which aims to provide equitable and timely access to support across London.

• Delegated Authority: The committee delegated authority to Councillor Best, in consultation with party group lead members, to agree on any output arising from the discussion.

Weight Loss Medication in London

The committee began its investigation into weight loss medication in London, receiving a background report. The report noted the increasing demand for and supply of weight loss medicines, such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro, and set out the aims of the investigation:

• To explore the increasing demand for, and supply of, weight loss medicines in London.
• To investigate the availability and take-up of weight loss medicines through the NHS in London.
• To investigate how and on what scale Londoners are accessing weight loss medicines privately, and the regulatory framework for accessing them in this way.
• To understand the benefits and risks for Londoners in accessing weight loss medicines.

The committee is scheduled to hear from invited guests at future meetings to further explore these issues.

Responses to Committee Outputs

The committee reviewed responses from the Mayor of London to the committee's reports on Dentistry and Oral Health in London and End-of-Life Care in London.

• Dentistry and Oral Health in London: The Mayor of London's response to the committee's report on Dentistry and Oral Health in London was received on 13 August 2025¹. The Mayor stated that he was committed to working with the government to meet the oral health needs of children and young Londoners, including ensuring supervised toothbrushing is available to primary school children in London. He also noted that he would continue to discuss dental health issues with London's Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and the NHS Regional Director. The Mayor highlighted his responsibility to tackle health inequalities through the 2018-2028 Health Inequalities Strategy (HIS) and the recently published HIS Implementation Plan (2025-2028).

• End-of-Life Care in London: The Mayor of London's response to the committee's report on End-of-Life Care in London was received on 26 August 2025². The Mayor stated that he was committed to ensuring that every Londoner can die at home if they wish or in a place of their choice, in comfort and surrounded by people who care for them. He also noted that he would continue to work with the NHS and other health and care partners to focus on the needs of Londoners, such as end-of-life care. The Mayor highlighted his Rough Sleeping Plan of Action, which aims to provide leadership to join together services and make sure people can get the help and care they need, as early and as simply as possible.

The committee noted the responses received from the Mayor.

Other Business

The committee also:

• Noted the list of offices held by Assembly Members as disclosable pecuniary interests.
• Confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 2 July 2025.
• Noted the completed and outstanding actions arising from previous meetings.
• Noted its work programme.