Champion in Men’s Health Says Goodbye

A pioneer in men’s health, who spread the message at conferences all over the world and on tv and radio, recently retired from NHS Forth Valley.

Jim Leishman began working as a district nurse, mostly from Camelon Health Centre, and was the community nursing representative on the former Forth Valley Health Board. Whilst working as a charge nurse he realised there were very few health promotion and prevention services specifically aimed at men. Jim set up Men Only clinics to tackle smoking, drinking, undertake blood pressure checks, covering the whole holistic health landscape. The clinics were subsequently rolled out across Scotland and laid the foundations for the Keep Well programme.

Jim had national and international recognition as a model of support to clients who need it the most. He spoke at conferences and undertook training worldwide, including London, Ireland, Washington and Melbourne. He featured in a chapter for a book on Men and Weight Loss, has appeared on the front cover of the Nursing Standard and participated in many TV and radio interviews.

Latterly, Jim was the Team Leader for the Keep Well programme and leaves behind a significant legacy within NHS Forth Valley and beyond. He’s hoping to use his retirement to play more tennis and table tennis.