London-based Maltese doctor Clare Gerada has formed an All-Party Parliamentary Group with Maltese UK MP Kevin Bonavia after taking her seat as the first Maltese woman in the UK’s House of Lords.
Professor Dame Clare Gerada DBE told Times of Malta she will always “keep Malta in mind” after she was formally introduced to the House of Lords on November 25 where she took the oath as Baroness Gerada of Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
She was awarded the life peerage in recognition for her contributions to medicine.
In the APPG, which is an informal, cross-party group formed by MPs and Members of the House of Lords who share a common interest, Gerada and Bonavia will be focusing on matters related to health, education and training with a focus on Malta.
Bonavia has been serving as a British Labour Party MP for Stevenage since 2024.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Gerada said she was “absolutely delighted to have been appointed [life peer] not only because I am the first woman of Maltese heritage, but also because I am one of the few GPs.”
“It feels amazing and I feel very proud.”
She pointed out that as she was taking the oath to become an official member, she proudly wore her Maltese cross. “Although I will be focusing on other issues, I will always keep Malta in mind,” Gerada said.
Gerada, a UK-based doctor with Maltese heritage, was born in Nigeria where her Maltese father worked as a doctor. She still regularly visits Malta.
In her maiden speech on December 11, she paid tribute to her parents for teaching her that “success rests on courage, hard work, and a commitment to the quiet dignity of service.”
Baroness Gerada’s inauguration speech on Linkedin part 1 Photo: Linkedin
Baroness Gerada’s inauguration speech on Linkedin part 2 Photo: Linkedin
Both her parents, Josephine from Sliema and Anthony, a doctor from Zejtun, emigrated to the UK in the 1960s.
She studied at University College London and initially trained in psychiatry to later become a GP.
During her speech, she reflected on her early exposure to medical practice by joining her father on house visits.
“Through him, I learnt what general practice truly involves: not merely medicine, but community, continuity, and compassion, and that the measure of a doctor lies not in what they know, but in how they care.”
Gerada went on to become the first woman Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 50 years. She also served as the Royal College’s president.
She has dedicated over 50 years of service to the National Health Service and is recognised for her work in mental health and substance misuse.
She is also the author of Beneath the White Coat: Doctors, Their Minds and Mental Health.
Baroness Gerada sits as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords. She was supported by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws and Lord Patel of Bradford.