voicedoctor.co.uk
Mr Declan Costello MA, MBBS, FRCS (ORL-HNS)
Consultant Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeon
Mr Declan Costello is a one of the UK’s leading laryngologists, with extensive expertise in treating voice disorders – from vocal cord nodules and cysts to polyps, papilloma, vocal cord paralysis and spasmodic dysphonia. He appears in the 2026 Tatler Magazine list of "Top Doctors"
As a singer himself, he has a particular interest in treating voice disorders in performers. He is also one of the leading exponents of local anaesthetic laryngeal procedures, which can be particularly beneficial for patients with vocal fold paralysis.
In April 2023, he was presented with the Santley Award by the Musicians' Company – this was awarded for services to singing and research into singing. This prestigious prize has previously been awarded to a very illustrious list of singers, including Janet Baker, John Shirley-Quirk, Robert Tear, Michael Chance, Felicity Lott, Sarah Connolly, Ian Bostridge, Joyce DiDonato, Iestyn Davies and others.
He has written many research papers, books and chapters; he lectures extensively in the UK and overseas, and he runs workshops for singers and performers on voice health and anatomy.
Biography
Mr Costello studied music at St John's College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar under Christopher Robinson. He went on to study medicine at Imperial College and undertook his ENT specialist training in the Oxford region.
He was appointed as a consultant ENT surgeon (specialising in voice disorders) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in August 2010. In December 2018 his NHS practice moved to Wexham Park Hospital in Berkshire.
Mr Costello runs weekly private clinics in London and Maidenhead and weekly NHS clinics in Wexham Park (Slough) and Heatherwood (Ascot).
Amongst his non-clinical duties, he is the editor of ENT & Audiology News magazine. He continues to sing regularly with a number of different groups.
From September 2026, he will be a Council member of the Laryngology and Rhinology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Mr Costello was the President of the British Laryngological Association from 2023 to 2025. He was also on the Presidential Council of the European Laryngological Society from 2020 to 2025.