London GPs refer 40% more patients to sleep clinics as NHS expands

Referrals to NHS sleep clinics in London have risen 40% since 2023, according to data released this week by the Royal College of Physicians. The surge comes as GPs across the capital report patients waiting up to 18 months for a polysomnography, the overnight sleep study that diagnoses conditions like obstructive sleep apnoea and periodic limb movement disorder.

The spike is driven partly by growing awareness. Campaigns from the Mental Health Foundation and the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington have encouraged residents to seek help for chronic insomnia, which affects an estimated 1.4 million adults in Greater London. But the demand has overwhelmed existing services. The Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust sleep centre at St Thomas’ Hospital in Waterloo now sees 2,500 new patients a year, up from 1,800 in 2019.

Where Londoners can get a sleep study, and what it costs

The NHS offers sleep studies at a handful of specialist centres. The London Sleep Centre at the London Clinic, on Devonshire Place near Marylebone, provides both NHS-funded and private diagnostic slots. A standard overnight polysomnography there costs £2,250 privately, with results typically returned within 10 working days. For NHS patients, the wait is longer: St Thomas’ currently has a 14-month backlog for non-urgent cases.

Private alternatives have grown fast. The Sleep Consultancy, based on Harley Street, opened a second clinic in Clapham last March. Their home sleep apnea test, a portable device worn overnight, costs £395 and includes a remote consultation with a registered sleep physician. “We’re seeing a lot of young professionals who can’t afford to wait,” says Dr Helen Broughton, a consultant at the clinic. “They’re losing productivity, and their GPs are sympathetic, but the system is stretched.”

For those who prefer a non-clinical route, the Royal Parks Sleep Walk programme, run in partnership with the charity Sleep Action, has held guided evening walks in Hyde Park and Regent’s Park since April. The free sessions, aimed at people with mild insomnia, combine light exercise, breathing techniques and sleep hygiene advice. More than 600 Londoners have signed up so far.

New technology and what comes next

Technology is starting to fill gaps too. The NHS Nightingale App, piloted at four GP practices in Hackney in June 2026, uses a smartphone’s microphone and accelerometer to track sleep stages and snoring patterns. Early data from the pilot, involving 300 patients, shows a 25% improvement in sleep quality scores after eight weeks. The app costs £4.99 a month and is not yet available on prescription, but NHS England London is evaluating a full rollout by late 2027.

Meanwhile, the London Assembly’s Health Committee is due to publish a report in September on sleep health inequalities. Preliminary findings, leaked to The Daily London, show that residents in boroughs with the highest obesity rates, such as Barking and Dagenham, and Newham, are twice as likely to suffer from sleep apnoea as those in Richmond or Kingston. The report is expected to recommend a network of community-based sleep hubs staffed by specialist nurses.

For now, the advice from the British Sleep Society is clear: if you’ve been struggling with sleep for more than three months, see your GP. Ask specifically about a referral for a sleep study. The waiting list is long, but the alternative, ignoring chronic sleep deprivation, carries its own costs: higher risk of cardiovascular disease, depression and workplace accidents.

London’s sleep clinics are slowly expanding capacity. But the demand shows no sign of letting up. And for the thousands of Londoners waiting for a diagnosis, the question is whether the system can catch up before they run out of patience, or of sleep.