Mr Phillips was appointed as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine in 1996 and is based at Sunderland Royal Hospital. After graduating from Newcastle University in 1996, he undertook training in general surgery when he gained a Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, before embarking on training in Accident & Emergency Medicine. In 1996, he was awarded a Fellowship of the then Faculty of Accident & Emergency Medicine, now the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. He has been an Examiner for the Fellowship of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine for over 10 years.

Mr Phillips has a particular interest in teaching and is a Course Director for the Royal College of Surgeons Advanced Trauma Life Support Course and is an instructor on the national Advanced Life Support Course and Generic Instructor Course. He has written a suture manual for Emergency Department practitioners and continues to manage a large IT system that provides up-to-date guidance for ED clinicians on the management of a wide range of clinical conditions.