For CPAP patients
What is CPAP?
CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.
CPAP is a breathing therapy that delivers air through a mask worn over the nose and/or mouth. This helps keep the airway open and supports regular breathing during sleep.
It is most commonly used to treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but it may also be used for other sleep‑related breathing conditions.
We currently issue patients with the ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet device. You can find out more about this equipment via this link.
Problems with your CPAP machine or mask
If you are using CPAP for obstructive sleep apnoea, please be reassured that it is generally safe to be without CPAP treatment for a short period (for example, a few nights).
If you need to be without CPAP temporarily, please:
- Sleep propped up using additional pillows
- Avoid sleeping on your back
- Avoid alcohol and sedative medications where possible
If you are experiencing problems with your CPAP machine or mask, please first visit this website for guidance: Resmed | The World Leader in Sleep Health
Please contact the Sleep Technician team for assistance with:
- A replacement mask or parts
- CPAP machine issues
- A treatment or pressure adjustment
Email: qvh.sleeptechnicians@nhs.net – Email is the best way to contact the team, as the inbox is monitored through the day and overnight. Please include your hospital number and date of birth when you contact us.
Voicemail: Alternatively you can leave a voicemail message on 01342 305420, selecting option 2. Please include your hospital number and date of birth when you contact us.
A member of the Sleep Technician team will respond to your message. We aim to respond to queries within 72 hours, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Page updated: 6 May 2026
Dr Oliver Bernath
Consultant Neurologist and Sleep Physician
Special interests: All sleep disorders, especially those with neurological origin: narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, parasomnias (e.g. nightmares, sleepwalking), REM behaviour disorder, restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements in sleep disorder, insomnia, nocturnal epilepsy, sleep/wake rhythm disorder, but also obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring.
Dr Oliver Bernath qualified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology/epilepsy, and sleep disorders. He is registered by the General Medical Council with added qualification in neurology. He is certified as sleep physician by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the German Society of Sleep Medicine (DGSM). He obtained a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Ulm (Germany) for his research in muscle physiology.
Dr Bernath started his medical training at the University of Ulm (Germany) and expanded his studies with terms at University College London and the University of Otago (New Zealand). After graduating from Ulm, he trained as junior doctor at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. He then completed his neurology residence at the University of Chicago followed by postgraduate fellowships in clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy, and intraoperative monitoring at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and in Sleep Medicine at UCSF/Stanford. He obtained US Board certifications in all of these specialties. In 2000, he returned to the UK and worked at Atkinson Morley’s Hospital, Kingston Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and now at Queen Victoria Hospital in the sleep disorders clinic.
His work ranged from operational improvement programmes in clinics and hospitals, to national healthcare transformations, policy development and regulator design.
Dr Bernath was a scholar of the German National Merit Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes) and won research prizes in epilepsy and sleep research. His latest field of interest lies in the science and clinical practice of nightmares and dreaming.
Mr Mark Jackson
Consultant in Sleep and Respiratory Medicine
Special interests: Sleep apnoea and disorders of ventilation, respiratory medicine
Mr Mark Jackson has been an established consultant physician in the Mid-Sussex area for 25 years. After qualifying in Medicine from the University of Birmingham Medical School, his postgraduate training was primarily in Cambridge. At the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre at Royal Papworth Hospital, he delved into research on sleep apnoea, assisted ventilation and heart-lung transplantation and trained at Addenbrooke’s Hospital where he served as a clinical lecturer.
Following his comprehensive training, Mr Jackson was appointed as a consultant respiratory physician at the Princess Royal Hospital, managing a busy respiratory practice and leading the sleep apnoea service. He moved to Queen Victoria Hospital in 2020 and is the clinical lead for the Sleep Centre.
Page last updated: 10 January 2024.
Dr Susanna So-Shan Ng
Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine
Special interests: Sleep apnea, respiratory failure, and respiratory medicine
Dr Susanna So-Shan Ng joined Queen Victoria Hospital in 2022. She graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2003 and underwent respiratory medicine training in Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, where she developed her interests in sleep apnea and respiratory failure. In 2009 she was awarded the Hong Kong Lung Foundation Fellowship and spent six months at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia for training in sleep medicine and respiratory failure.
Dr Ng has a wide field of clinical and scientific interests. She has devoted herself to clinical research on obstructive sleep apnea. She has published evidence in internationally renowned and peer reviewed journals on topics such as the use of home sleep monitoring devices, the prevalence of obstructive sleep apena in elderly, treatment impact on metabolic profiles among patients with sleep apnea, and the relationships between craniofacial factors and weight reduction. She was awarded a research scholarship from the European Respiratory Society international congress in 2015 and the American Thoracic Society international conference in 2016.
Dr Ng also provides a respiratory service in Epsom General Hospital.
Page last updated: 5 February 2024.
