Dr Lee Rayfield was educated at the University of Southampton, where he gained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) honours degree in Biology in 1978. He then studied for his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from St Mary's Hospital Medical School (Paddington, Greater London), being awarded his doctorate in 1981, after which he remained as a post-doctoral researcher until 1984. His final medical post was as a lecturer in immunology at UMDS. In 1991 he began studying for the ministry, and became the Bishop of Swindon, the sole suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Bristol, in 2005.