Professor Peter Rea

Professor Peter Rea

Ear, Nose and Throat Consultant

MA, BM BCh, FRCS (England), FRCS (ORL-HNS)


Specialises in

  • Hearing loss, ear infections, glue ear, tinnitus
  • Dizziness and balance disorder management
  • Sinus disease, facial pain, loss of smell
  • Sore throats, hoarseness, tonsillitis
  • Sees adults and children at Spire Leicester Hospital

Also available for:

Virtual consultations:

I have been a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon in Leicester since 2004, and was previously a Consultant in London. I have a busy practice treating both adults and children at Spire Hospital Leicester.

As a leading UK-based ENT surgeon, I have recently been elected as President of The Royal Society of Medicine, section of otology, for 2023-24, which is a great honour. I have been President of The British Society of Otology for the years 2020-2022, and was Chairman of The British Society of Neuro-Otology from 2013-2019.

My undergraduate training was at The University of Cambridge where I gained a first class honours degree, followed by clinical training at The University of Oxford. My advanced ENT training was in London, the USA and Australia.

I run four to five private clinics per week, assessing problems of the ears, nose and throat, and resolve most problems in outpatients without the need for surgery. I am just as happy clearing wax from your ears or treating your blocked nose, as I am assessing chronic and complex disorders.

I have helped build one of the UK's most respected clinics for the management of balance disorders and dizziness which now handles some 7,000 appointments per year. In addition, I have my own modern, private balance testing facilities in Leicester. Patients regularly travel from abroad for consultations. For those with dizziness I offer medical and surgical therapies for conditions such as Ménière's Disease, BPPV, and perilymph fistula, as well as medical therapies for unsteadiness, dizziness, PPPD, and vestibular migraine.

I run a busy ear surgery practice with patients travelling from all over the UK and abroad for treatment and surgery for hearing loss, ear infections, and tinnitus. I undertake three to four operating lists per week. This will usually include several major ear operations every week, such as mastoidectomy for cholesteatoma or wet ears, ear drum repairs (tympanoplasty), bone anchored hearing aids, or hearing reconstruction (stapedectomy and ossiculoplasty). Several nasal surgeries are often undertaken every week, most commonly endoscopic sinus surgery and polypectomy for blocked sinuses, and septoplasty for blocked noses.

I have won research prizes for my work on nose and sinus disease and treat both adults and children with nasal problems. Tonsillectomies, adenoidectomies, grommet insertion, and voice box and swallowing examinations (laryngoscopy and pharyngoscopy) are together undertaken many times every week.

I run specialist children's clinics both privately and in the NHS, managing common, and much less common, paediatric ENT disorders. I trained at Great Ormond Hospital for Sick Children in London, as well as Sydney Children's in Australia and Cincinnati Children's Hospital in the USA. For babies with tongue tie a single visit is usually all that is required. A child-friendly atmosphere is provided for my younger patients and we try to have a lot of fun in the clinic, whether it is for blocked noses, snoring, tonsillitis, hearing loss or ear infections which are among the more common conditions managed.

I have a wide range of research interests. I have led research in Leicester into intra-tympanic therapies for Meniere’s disease which has been published in the Lancet. My research includes international collaborations developing artificial intelligence led diagnostic tools for ENT disorders.

I am an Honorary Professor of Balance Medicine at De Montfort University, and Honorary Professor to the Departments of Neuroscience and Informatics at The University of Leicester.

I run the annual three day "Leicester Balance Course" and it has been a great honour to have taught over 500 specialists on this course over the last 18 years. I am very regularly invited to write and lecture internationally (recent examples range from Bahrain and Dubai, through Europe, to Uzbekistan and China), and I have appeared in TV documentaries looking at my work and patients, and have often written for the national press.

But it is my patients who mean most to me.

Read more...

General Medical Council Number: 3555950

Treatment information

Some of the principal treatments carried out by Professor Peter Rea at Spire include:

Ear Nose and Throat (ENT)

Other treatments

  • Dizziness
  • Mastoidectomy
  • Myringoplasty
  • Ossiculoplasty
  • Stapes surgery
  • Tinnitus
  • Tympanoplasty
  • Vertigo

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Important information about COVID-19 tests

COVID-19 testing or antibody tests are not available as a standalone service at Spire Leicester Hospital.

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Additional information

Allergy
Balance disorders
Ears
Ear, nose and throat
Hearing loss
Head and neck surgery
Laryngology
Neurotology
Nose
Otology
Paediatrics
Paediatric otolaryngology
Rhinology
Sinus surgery
Sleep disorders
Snoring
Voice disorders

Special clinical interests: Ear, nose and throat disorders in children; vertigo; middle ear reconstruction; hearing loss and tinnitus; sinus disease including allergy.

MA / University of Cambridge / 1990
Masters of Art

BM BCh / University of Oxford / 1991
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery

FRCS (England – Surgery) / London / 1995
Fellow Royal College of Surgeons

FRCS (ORL-HNS) / London / 1997
Fellow Royal College Surgeons of London in Otorhinolaryngology

Intercollegiate Examination in Otolaryngology / London / 2001
Gold Medal


Professional memberships

Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of England

British Society of Otology

British Society of Neuro-otology

British Society of Paediatrics

Member, British Medical Association


Professional leadership

I am Chairman of the British Society of Neuro-Otology, the UK's leading multi-disciplinary group exploring new ideas in dizziness and balance.
I am President of the British Society of Otology, our national organisation for ear surgeons from 2020 - 2022.
I have chaired the ENT Audit Committee at The Leicester Royal Infirmary for 13 years, ensuring high standards of care are maintained.

In the recent past I have been Guest Editor of ENT News, and have been an editorial reviewer for the British Medical Journal, Clinical Otolaryngology, and Gait and Posture.

Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist, University Hospital of Leicester, NHS Trust.

Honorary Professor of Balance Medicine, De Montfort University, Leicester.

Honorary Professor to the Departments of Neuroscience and Informatics, The University of Leicester.

I'm married with two sons and have a dog. I spend much of my free time with my family. On holidays we enjoy exploring countries as far and as remote as possible. We also find time for an annual family ski holiday and I have an annual cycling trip to France. Nearer to home, our Cockapoo has boundless energy to run off and I cycle every week to keep fit.

Telephone 0116 265 3685
Private secretary Yannette Rea
Private secretary telephone 07999 463426
Private secretary email yani.rea@londonroadclinic.co.uk