An initial consultation with Professor Peter Rea is from £220.
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
- Advanced management of dizziness and balance disorders
- 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. 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.
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 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.
General Medical Council Number: C3555950
Treatment information
Some of the principal treatments carried out by Professor Peter Rea at Spire include:
Ear Nose and Throat (ENT)
- Allergy testing
- CT scan
- Ear pinning (pinnaplasty)
- Grommets insertion (glue ear treatment)
- Hearing Loss
- Laryngoscopy investigation
- MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging scan)
- Neuralgia (nerve pain) treatment
- Septoplasty surgery
- Sinus surgery (functional endoscopic sinus surgery or FESS)
- Snoring treatment
- Tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy for children
- Tonsillectomy for adults
Other treatments
- Dizziness
- Mastoidectomy
- Myringoplasty
- Ossiculoplasty
- Stapes surgery
- Tinnitus
- Tympanoplasty
- Vertigo
Get in touch
Important information about COVID-19 tests
COVID-19 testing or antibody tests are not available as a standalone service at Spire Leicester Hospital.
Additional information
Clinical interests
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.
Qualification and professional memberships
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.
Research and publications
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.
Current NHS posts
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.
Personal profile
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.
Contact information
| Telephone | 0116 265 3685 |
| Private secretary | Yannette Rea |
| Private secretary telephone | 07999 463426 |
| Private secretary email | rea.ent@outlook.com |