Dr Hilary Jones

About Dr Hilary Jones

Having studied art subjects at A Level, Dr Hilary converted to a six-year medical degree, qualifying in 1976. In 1979, he worked for a year as the single-handed medical officer on Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated inhabited island in the world. Then, in 1981, he worked as a troubleshooting GP and Emergency Doctor for the oil industry at Sullom Voe in Shetland for Offshore Medical Support.   

Dr Hilary became a Principal in General Practice and a GP Trainer in the early 80’s. He also worked as a Senior House Officer in Ophthalmology before entering General Practice, assisting in Glaucoma and Cataract extraction procedures and learning the science of refraction.   

He then began presenting educational medical TV programmes for British Medical TV in 1986, which Sky TV adopted for their news bulletins soon after. In 1989, Dr Hilary Jones joined the most successful TV breakfast station ever, TVAM. He and Lorraine Kelly were the first presenters to be signed up by GMTV when it won the breakfast franchise in 1993. He is now the Health Editor for ITV’s Breakfast television.

He is still a fully qualified medical doctor and a registered General Practitioner. As of early 2026, he remains on the medical register with a license to practice.

Dr Hilary Jones became an Ambassador at Telecare24 in 2012, having chosen to keep his mum, Noreen, safe and protected in her own home with one of our fall alarms. 

Areas of expertise

• General Practice & Primary Care
• Preventive Medicine & Public Health
• Medical Broadcasting & Health Communication
• Chronic Disease Management
• Elderly Care & Healthy Ageing
• Cardiovascular Health (including stroke prevention)
• Metabolic Health (including diabetes and obesity)
• Neurological Conditions (including Parkinson’s and dementia)
• Ophthalmology (glaucoma, cataracts, refraction)
• Emergency & Remote Medicine

Career achievements

• Qualified as a medical doctor from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine (1976)
• Served as the single-handed medical officer on Tristan da Cunha (1979)
• Worked in offshore emergency medicine, supporting the oil industry in Shetland (1981)
• Became a Principal in General Practice and GP Trainer (early 1980s)
• Transitioned into medical broadcasting  with British Medical TV (from 1986), later adopted by Sky TV 
• Joined TV-am (1989) and became an original presenter for GMTV (1993)
• Established long-standing role as Health Editor for ITV Breakfast Television
• Published multiple health guides and fiction books
• Awarded MBE (2020 Birthday Honours) for services to broadcasting, public health and charity
• Serves as patron/ambassador for major health organisations (including Meningitis Research Foundation, British Heart Foundation, Stroke Association, Diabetes UK, London’s Air Ambulance)

Education and qualifications

• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery | Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London |1976 
• Fully registered General Practitioner

Specialised training

• GP Training (General Practice Trainer)
• Hospital training as a Senior House Officer in Ophthalmology
• Practical training in: Glaucoma management, Cataract procedures, Refraction science

Employment history

• Single-Handed Medical Officer, Tristan da Cunha (1979)
• GP & Emergency Doctor (Offshore Medical Support), Sullom Voe, Shetland (1981)
• Principal in General Practice & GP Trainer, UK (early 1980s onward)
• Medical Broadcaster, British Medical TV (from 1986)
• Health Presenter, TVAM (from 1989)
• Presenter, GMTV (from 1993)
• Health Editor, ITV Breakfast television (current/long-standing role)

Professional affiliations & membership

Dr Hilary Jones serves as a patron or ambassador for numerous major health organisations, including:

• Meningitis Research Foundation (Patron)
• London’s Air Ambulance (Patron)
• The Stroke Association (Ambassador)
• British Heart Foundation (Ambassador)
• Diabetes UK (Ambassador)

Publications and research

• I’m Too Busy To Be Stressed (Published in 1997)
• What’s Up Doc (Published in 2010)
• A Day In Your Life (Published in 2013)
• Frontline (Published in 2021)
• The Eye of the Storm (Published in 2022)

Professional registrations

• Registered General Practitioner. General Medical Council Number: 2298102

Awards & recognitions

• MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire): Appointed an MBE for services to broadcasting, public health information and charity (2020 Birthday Honours)

Content authored/reviewed

• Dr Hilary Jones Discusses Personal Alarms for the Elderly (Published on 27 May 2016)
• Dr Hilary Jones Explains Strokes (Published on 31 May 2016)
• Health Tips for Older People (Published on 02 Jun 2016)
• Dr Hilary Jones’ 5 Ways to Prevent Falls (Published on 07 Aug 2016)
• Dr Hilary Jones Discusses How Being Overweight Affects the Elderly (Published on 20 Sep 2016)
• How to Stay Independent in Old Age (Published on 31 Mar 2017)
• Dr Hilary Jones – How to Manage Parkinson’s Disease (Published on 13 Apr 2017)
• How to Prevent a Stroke (Published on 05 May 2017)
• Dr Hilary Jones Discusses How to Control Diabetes (Published on 12 Jun 2017)
• How to Keep Safe in the Sun by Dr Hilary Jones (Published on 09 Aug 2017)
• What’s the Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease? (Published on 08 Sep 2017)

Internal navigation

• Digital Fall Alarm Plan
• Digital Pendant Alarm Plan
• GO Active! GPS Alarm Plan