Dr Hilary Williams

Who Dr Hilary Williams is

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 for this biography

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 — Confirms UKAOS founder membership and treasurer role; notes she is the first oncologist to hold the CVP role at the RCP.
5. 5.RCP warns extreme heat is putting patients at risk and straining NHS services | RCP — Evidences Dr Williams as named press spokesperson on climate and NHS workforce; documents media reach including BBC, Radio 4, LBC and Sky News.
6. 6.'Anticipating the end of life is an act of clinical courage and kindness': RCP calls for national strategy | RCP — Evidences Dr Williams as named spokesperson on end-of-life and palliative care policy.
7. 7.Outpatient transformation key to reducing waiting lists, RCP says | RCP — Evidences Dr Williams as named spokesperson on outpatient reform and waiting list reduction.
8. 8.THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF LONDON – Charity Commission — Confirms RCP head-office address as 11 St Andrews Place, London NW1 4LE.

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 Dr Hilary Williams has said

• “Delivering care in corridors and other temporary spaces has sadly become an everyday reality for many doctors, placing immense physical and emotional strain on staff. Patients deserve better. They should receive care in safe, private, and properly equipped environments.”

  RCP clinical vice president · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 30 Sept 2026 · Corridor care is an ‘everyday reality’ not confined to winter, doctors warn ↗

• “It's concerning to see our physician members tell us that they are not confident their hospitals can safely manage the pressures of the coming winter. We have long-standing, systemic issues in the NHS – from rising A&E attendances to delays in discharge – that cannot be resolved overnight.”

  clinical vice president of the RCP · A&E & ambulance response · 30 Sept 2026 · Less than two-thirds of A&E arrivals at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust seen within four hours ↗

• “The NHS waiting list is more than just a figure. It represents real people that are likely living in pain and discomfort. This only gets worse as treatment is delayed, often leading to more complex and intensive care needs.”

  RCP clinical vice president · NHS waiting lists · 30 Sept 2026 · ‘NHS must halve waiting lists to meet government 18-week target’, new study warns ↗

• “We have long-standing, systemic issues in the NHS – from rising A&E attendances to delays in discharge – that cannot be resolved overnight.”

  clinical vice president of the Royal College of Physicians · NHS waiting lists · 30 Sept 2026 · Waiting list for planned hospital treatment rises for third month in a row ↗

• “The ambition in this plan is right. Earlier diagnosis, faster access to treatment and better support for people living with cancer must be non-negotiable, and it's good to see commitments on lung cancer screening and tightening up rules around sunbed use. But the delivery if this plan will depend on sustained investment in the physician workforce.”

  RCP clinical vice president and consultant medical oncologist · Cancer · 30 Sept 2026 · RCP responds to the publication of the National Cancer Plan for England ↗

• “We met as 40 expert physicians from Northumberland to Brighton, from Derby and Wales. We heard from cardiologists, hepatologists, oncologists, acute medics and resident doctors all really committed to getting care right for people towards the end of life. Everyday we encounter people in the last stages of life and recognising when recovery is uncertain, when dying is approaching really matters.”

  Clinical vice president and roundtable participant · Palliative & end of life care · 30 Sept 2026 · A growing challenge: end-of-life care in acute hospitals ↗

• “We have long-standing, systemic issues in the NHS – from rising A&E attendances to delays in discharge – that cannot be resolved overnight.”

  clinical vice president of the RCP · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 8 Sept 2026 · Winter warnings begin to mount as vaccination efforts are ramped up ↗

• “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 ↗

Where Dr Hilary Williams has been quoted

1. Shifting from hospital to community: delivering the promise of integrated care closer to homercp.ac.uk · 4 Oct 2026
2. Corridor care is an ‘everyday reality’ not confined to winter, doctors warnindependent.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
3. Less than two-thirds of A&E arrivals at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust seen within four hourscreditoncourier.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
4. ‘NHS must halve waiting lists to meet government 18-week target’, new study warnsrcp.ac.uk · 30 Sept 2026
5. Waiting list for planned hospital treatment rises for third month in a roweadt.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
6. RCP responds to the publication of the National Cancer Plan for Englandrcp.ac.uk · 30 Sept 2026
7. A growing challenge: end-of-life care in acute hospitalsrcp.ac.uk · 30 Sept 2026
8. Winter warnings begin to mount as vaccination efforts are ramped upnursingtimes.net · 8 Sept 2026
9. Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heattheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
10. NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Coopertheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
11. Extreme heat more dangerous for people 60 and over than previously thoughttheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Patients claim they were left in ‘agony’ and ‘begging’ for medication at NGHNorthampton Chronicle and Echo
• Jogger crushed under coach thanks paramedics who saved his lifeBBC
• Ambulance response times for critical cases falling short, says Dr DzulThe Star

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 ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.