Associate Sleep Practitoner

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a Band 4 Associate Sleep Practitioner to join the Dorset Sleep Service which provides Sleep Diagnostics for patients in catchment to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester and CPAP Therapy for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea across the entire county.

The successful candidate must be able to travel to different sites around the county, including occasional cover days in Weymouth and Dorchester, however their main base will be in the East of Dorset where the Sleep Service will soon be temporarily occupying space at St Leonard’s Hospital in Ringwood while more permanent accommodation is sought in Bournemouth or Poole.

The role is full-time during office hours; flexible working is available, and job-sharing would be considered. Full training - including working towards nationally recognised professional qualifications - will be provided, with clear career progression pathways within the service.

Main duties of the job

The job will consist of issuing and downloading sleep study devices; monitoring a live database of CPAP patients’ treatment and escalating any issues to senior staff; receiving and recording phone calls and emails from CPAP patients; setting out CPAP equipment for collection; and undertaking routine clinical and administrative duties such as cleaning equipment, updating patient records, and filing.

We’re looking for someone with 5 GCSEs including English and Maths, and a Level 3 qualification (e.g. A-Level, AS-level, NVQ3, BTEC); with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with patients and colleagues; good IT skills in Microsoft Office and ability to learn to use specialist software; good attention to detail, organisation, and time management; and who is enthusiastic about providing excellent healthcare to a wide range of patients. A background in healthcare would be beneficial but is not necessary; our team has people with a wide range of previous experiences. We recommend familiarising yourself with the basics of sleep studies, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, and CPAP therapy to gain a better understanding of the role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Dorset Sleep Service opened in Autumn 2023 and provides diagnostic sleep studies for patients in catchment to Dorset County Hospital, and CPAP treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea for Dorset’s entire population of around 380,000 residents. We perform around 1,700 sleep studies a year and are in the process of taking over the care of about 5,000 patients already on CPAP therapy; we expect this to rise to about 2,000 sleep studies a year and over 8,000 CPAP patients over the next five years.

The team will consist of Administrators, Sleep Practitioners at Associate, Practitioner, and Senior level, a Head of Department, and is overseen by a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine. We are open mostly during office hours, with potential scope for early starts/late ends and possibly some weekends to support Flexible Working in the future (we have no plans for night shifts yet). The department is currently based at Vespasian House in Dorchester, but from July 2025 will be moving to two new sites: one in Weymouth, and a temporary site in Ringwood until we find a permanent premises in either Bournemouth or Poole.

The Service is still fresh and new, and almost all staff have joined it with no previous experience in Sleep Medicine; we hope to train and develop staff to further their careers within the Sleep Service wherever we can. We value collaboration towards continual improvement, innovation and new ways of thinking to solve problems and you will be an integral part of creating and refining responsive and effective procedures. We aim to create a diverse, inclusive, and supportive environment where everyone – colleagues and patients alike – are treated with respect and consideration.