Dr Hilary WilliamsClinician

Biography

Dr Hilary Williams FRCP MBChB PhD is Clinical Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), a role she took up on 1 August 2025 after being elected with 56% of the vote in the highest-turnout RCP election for over 20 years. She is also a consultant in medical oncology at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, where she specialises in colorectal cancers and has led the development of acute oncology services in Wales. She trained in Sheffield and completed a PhD in immunology and oncogenic viruses at the University of Edinburgh, before serving as RCP Regional Adviser for south-east Wales from 2018, joining the RCP Council in 2022, and serving as RCP Vice President for Wales from 2023. She is an active founder member of the UK Acute Oncology Society and the national Wales Cancer Network lead for acute oncology. In her public advocacy she has called for more NHS staff, reform of outpatient care to cut waiting lists, a national strategy for end-of-life care, and urgent action on the impact of extreme heat on NHS services.

References

1. 1.RCP elections 2025: New clinical vice president and elected councillors announced | RCP — Confirms election as Clinical Vice President, start date of 1 August 2025, vote share, turnout record, and background (Velindre, Sheffield, Edinburgh PhD).
2. 2.Velindre consultant elected clinical vice president of Royal College of Physicians – Velindre University NHS Trust — Confirms credentials (FRCP MBChB PhD), colorectal cancer specialism, 56% vote share, highest turnout in 20+ years, and role start date.
3. 3.Dr Hilary Williams | RCP London — Official RCP staff profile confirming VP for Wales role, UKAOS founding membership, Wales Cancer Network lead, and Emerging Women Leaders mentoring.
4. 4.UKAOS trustee and board member elected as clinical vice president of the Royal College of Physicians :: UK Acute Oncology Society

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
• Elderly care & frailty

Stated areas of expertise

• Acute oncology
• NHS workforce policy
• Outpatient and waiting list reform
• End-of-life and palliative care
• Health inequalities
• Climate and health

Notable achievements

• Elected RCP Clinical Vice President in 2025 with 56% of the vote and the highest RCP election turnout in over 20 years. Source ↗
• Founding member and treasurer of the UK Acute Oncology Society, and national Wales Cancer Network lead for acute oncology. Source ↗
• Led RCP public advocacy on extreme heat and NHS preparedness, generating over 800 pieces of media coverage and appearances on BBC News, Radio 4 Today, LBC and Sky News. Source ↗
• Represented the RCP at the 2025 Liberal Democrat party conference to advocate on NHS workforce and physician training. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “There are reports of older patients arriving at hospital having collapsed or with dehydration. Patients are facing overcrowding, and there are issues with machines, laboratories and kidney dialysis – all fundamental to providing safe patient care.”

  Clinical vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heat ↗

• “The impact of heatwaves on staff cannot be overstated. There is a sense of foreboding when we see the weather forecast, because we know what is to come, and there is very little staff can do.”

  Clinical Vice-President, Royal College of Physicians · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Cooper ↗

• “Extreme weather, including severe heat, is a patient safety issue. We know that heatwaves bring a surge in patients. Older people often arrive with dehydration, having collapsed, or with existing conditions like heart and kidney disease made worse by the heat.”

  clinical vice-president of the UK's Royal College of Physicians · Elderly care & frailty · 27 Aug 2026 · Extreme heat more dangerous for people 60 and over than previously thought ↗

Source references

1. Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heattheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Coopertheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
3. Extreme heat more dangerous for people 60 and over than previously thoughttheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/about-rcp/whos-who/people/dr-hilary-williams
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/hilary-williams-508650342
• Xhttps://x.com/HilaryWMedic
• Press office emailmedia@rcp.ac.ukpublished here ↗

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