Dorset Sleep Service

The Dorset Sleep Service launched in August 2023 and covers the whole county of Dorset.

The team is made of our three Sleep Practitioners, Debra Castle, Clarice Peterkin, and Nikki Denley, two Associate Sleep Practitioners and two Administrators.

We provide diagnostic sleep studies to investigate sleep disordered breathing conditions such as Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) where people stop breathing in their sleep, and a sleep movement disorder called Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), both of which can cause excessive daytime tiredness and sleepiness.

OSA left untreated for years or decades can increase the risk of obesity, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, and depression, as well as impact on concentration, memory, mood, social interactions, recovery from illness and injury, performance at work, and social and familial relationships.

We also treat sleep apnoea with CPAP therapy, which is a long-term treatment where patients wear a face mask connected to an air pump to normalise their breathing during sleep. It can be difficult to adapt to wearing a mask during sleep, and once settled on therapy, patients need annual reviews and access to support and replacement consumables, often for life.

The department is located on the ground floor of Vespasian House, Barrack Road, Dorchester, DT1 1TS. Pleased note, there is no on-site parking but Top O’ Town car park is just a five minute walk away.

The Sleep Service team can be contacted on 01305 255 126 or emailed at sleep.service@dchft.nhs.uk