Inequalities: GP Patient Survey highlights need for national neuro plan
28/07/2026
The NHS’s own measure of patient experience shows people with neurological conditions continue to face significant inequalities in access to and experience of care, highlighting the need for a national plan for neurological conditions.
More than 25,000 people living with a neurological condition responded to the 2026 GP Patient Survey, making it one of the largest national datasets on people’s experiences of primary care.
The findings are particularly significant because they come alongside NHS England’s new Quality Strategy, which places patient experience on an equal footing with safety and clinical effectiveness and identifies GP Patient Survey measures as key indicators of whether care is improving.
While overall experience of GP services has improved nationally since 2024, people with neurological conditions continue to report poorer care across many of the measures the NHS has identified as markers of quality.
People with neurological conditions continue to experience poorer care
Compared with the general population, people with neurological conditions were consistently more likely to report poorer experiences of primary care.
Nearly one in five (18%) people with neurological conditions rated their last contact with their GP practice as poor, compared with 14% of the population overall. More than a third of people with neurological conditions (34%) said it was difficult to contact their GP by phone, compared with 30% nationally, while almost a third Of people with neurological conditions (32%) experienced difficulties using their GP practice website, compared with 27% of respondents overall.
Only 62% of people with neurological conditions said they felt supported by local services or organisations to help manage their condition, one of the lowest figures of any long-term condition group. By comparison, more than 80% of people living with cancer and over 73% of those with diabetes, heart conditions and high blood pressure reported feeling supported. People with neurological conditions were also among the least confident in managing their condition, with only 61% saying they felt confident dealing with issues arising from their health.
A key test of NHS quality
The publication of the survey comes as NHS England launched its new Quality Strategy for NHS-funded care.
The strategy commits the NHS to improving patient experience, alongside safety and clinical effectiveness, and makes clear that nationally collected patient experience data, including measures from the GP Patient Survey, will be used to understand whether quality is improving.
It also identifies Modern Service Frameworks (MSFs) as the mechanism through which the NHS will deliver quality improvement for specific clinical pathways and conditions.
Why this matters for neurological conditions
The latest GP Patient Survey provides further evidence that people affected by neurological conditions continue to receive a poorer experience of care than many other patient groups, despite neurological conditions affecting at least one in six people.
Georgina Carr, Chief Executive of The Neurological Alliance, said:
“The GP Patient Survey is one of the NHS’s most important measures of patient experience, so these findings matter. While overall experience is improving, people with neurological conditions continue to report poorer access, poorer experiences of care and less support than many other patient groups. This is why we are asking for a Modern Service Framework for Neurological Conditions, a ‘national plan for neuro’, now.
The NHS’s new Quality Strategy makes clear that Modern Service Frameworks are how it intends to improve quality across priority pathways and conditions. One in six people in England have a neurological condition, but the government has not yet committed to a Modern Service Framework for neurological conditions. If the Government is serious about improving the quality of care and reducing inequalities for everyone, then neurological conditions must be included as a national priority.”
Take action
Sign our open letter calling on the government to commit to a national plan for neuro now.
