Which MPs and peers raise gp access most in Parliament?

Wes Streeting, Stephen Kinnock, Karin Smyth lead the ranking of MPs and peers on gp access, based on every Hansard contribution since 9 July 2024.

How is the gp access ranking calculated?

Vital Signs ranks MPs and members of the House of Lords by a weighted score of their Hansard contributions on GP access — speeches, written questions and committee work — over the course of this Parliament (since 9 July 2024). Ministerial statements and debate speeches carry more weight than written answers; every contribution counts at full weight however early in the Parliament it was made. Contributions are matched to this topic on whole-word keyword matching, so "send" is never mistaken for SEND and "career" is never mistaken for care. Ministers and shadow ministers are labelled, because answering on a brief is their job rather than a choice to raise it; their scores are shown as-is, not adjusted.

GP access: which MPs and peers raise it most

Since the start of this Parliament, 230 MPs and peers have raised GP access in Hansard debates, written questions and committee work. Debate has intensified recently: the last two months produced 29% more mentions than the two months before that.

The debate has been led most vocally by Wes Streeting (Labour, Ilford North), whose score of 177.0 is 1.6× that of the next most active contributor, Stephen Kinnock.

By party, Labour leads with 55% of weighted activity, followed by Liberal Democrat (20%) and Conservative (15%). The House of Commons accounts for 89% of all weighted activity on GP access.

Most cited doctors & academics

UK clinicians and academics most frequently quoted as expert sources in press coverage of gp access.

Dr Amanda Sullivan
3 citations
chief executive of the NHS's Integrated Care Boards in the East Midlands
“Our GP teams do an incredible job, so I am delighted to see major investment going into more and better facilities for patients and staff.”
Patients to benefit from more GP appointments after key investments in Nottinghamshire
Dr Clare Bannon
1 citation
BMA GPs committee chair
“We know that patients are both frustrated and exhausted by the state of general practice. They've seen in real time the slow and gradual decline in services, quality of care and the loss of their family doctor.”
GPs in England urge practices and patients to back campaign to save the profession and improve patient care
Heidi Wright
1 citation
practice and policy lead for England at the Royal College of Pharmacy
“This is an important study that reinforces the growing evidence that well-designed digital technologies can improve patient safety in primary care. The finding that medication safety processes were 46% more likely to improve is encouraging and aligns with what we have seen from established initiatives, such as 'PINCER', where digital tools help identify and prevent potentially harmful prescribing.”
Digital systems in general practice could reduce medication errors
Prof Tadhg Crowley
1 citation
Chair of the IMO's GP Committee
“We have a cohort of highly trained professionals and we must ensure they are enabled to meet the needs of patients through pathways to partnerships in existing practices or through targeted supports in establishing new practices.”
IMO calls for major investment in general practice
Nyamka Marsh
1 citation
General practice nurse and multiprofessional educational lead
“'If you took every nurse away, nothing would function… that's like taking the engine out of a car, it wouldn't function, it doesn't work without nursing.'”
‘General practice is the first A&E and nurses are the foundation’

Vital Signs — GP access

Vital Signs — GP access

Mentions since the start of this Parliament

How the ranking works

Debate analysis

Media coverage

Most cited doctors & academics