NHS referrals to Sleepstation

The Sleepstation programme is delivered entirely online and is accessed by the patient through their own smart phone, tablet or computer. Patients can access Sleepstation at a time and place of their choosing (home, work, anytime and anywhere) and they do not need to download an app to use Sleepstation.

Sleepstation is a personalised programme tailored to address the individual’s needs and unique circumstances.

The first step in treating insomnia with CBTi is to identify the underlying causes of the insomnia.

The Sleepstation programme begins with a week-long assessment and sleep review. At the end of the review, each patient receives a personalised report containing advice and guidance about next steps.

Most patients will progress to the therapy at this stage. For some patients, the Sleepstation therapy programme may not be deemed appropriate, and those patients will be provided with a full explanation and signposted to other services.

When patients enter therapy, a personalised sleep plan is created for them, based on information collated during their review.

The therapy programme which follows is based around this personalised sleep plan and is delivered via weekly therapy sessions. Through their Sleepstation account, patients also have access to a secure and confidential messaging service, providing them with access to a team of sleep coaches and CBTi therapists throughout.

Sleepstation’s NHS service is fully funded by the NHS in some areas of the UK. In these areas, access to Sleepstation is provided free of charge. Non-NHS patients or those in areas where NHS access is not available can choose to purchase Sleepstation privately.

The Sleepstation service isn’t available on the NHS everywhere. It’s currently available in some parts of the UK only. If you’d like to find out if Sleepstation is available for your patients please email nhs@sleepstation.org.uk.

We only accept online referrals. Completed referrals forms should be sent to tnu-tr.sleepstation@nhs.net You can download a blank referral form here.

With a shortage of practising insomnia specialists within the UK (fewer than 10 specialist centres), patients can wait many months, even years to see someone. This has left GPs and other healthcare providers little option but to recommend alternative, less effective treatments, and revert to hypnotic prescribing.

Technology is rewriting the relationship between patients, professionals and care providers. Patients are taking greater control over their health, and tools for patient empowerment and self-management provide opportunities for patients’ active participation in their care.

Digital healthcare services like Sleepstation can deliver customisable, quality care at a fraction of the cost of existing treatments.

Sleepstation is an effective alternative to hypnotic drugs.

Interestingly in circumstances where clinicians think CBTi would be helpful, they still mistakenly believe that patients would be reluctant to engage with the programme and would, in fact, prefer a quick medication fix.

39% of general practitioners in a UK study indicated that patient demand is the reason they use pharmacological treatments for insomnia. Similarly, a survey of Australian GPs indicated that the most common barriers to using a non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia were patients wanting/expecting medication (31%), followed by noncompliance due to the effort required for non-pharmacological treatment (21%). 49% of Belgian family physicians indicated that they felt it is too difficult to motivate patients for non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia.

However, patients perceive CBTi as healthier and preferable to taking medications for managing insomnia over the long-term.

Sleepstation’s online CBTi programme has been shown to be as effective as clinic based psychological therapy and can effectively resolve even the most chronic insomnia, with long-lasting benefits for the patient and fewer side effects than pharmacological interventions.

Sleepstation can resolve insomnia symptoms and improve quality of life for over 80% of patients who engage with the programme. Further information can be found here.

Insomnia is often seen as a symptom rather than a disorder. In a study with Australian general practitioners, 54% indicated that they initially treat the perceived underlying causes of insomnia, e.g. anxiety, depression, pain, or other conditions. For instance, a survey in primary care settings shows that clinicians believe that insomnia will resolve either sometimes (49%) or often (45%) following treatment of depression and PTSD.

Although insomnia is often linked with other conditions, it’s incorrect to assume that by treating the condition this will necessarily improve sleep. Both the condition and the sleep problems need to be treated effectively and that often means as separate interventions.