NHS pilot sites show how a digital pathway can cut time to diagnosis from months to just over a week
A patient referred to a sleep service today could wait almost a year for a diagnosis. At three NHS sites that piloted a new digital pathway, that wait fell to a little over a week.1
This stark contrast illustrates both the scale of the problem and the opportunity.
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Across the UK, NHS sleep services are facing growing referral volumes, workforce pressures, and diagnostic backlogs. NHS England data shows that more than 30,000 people are currently waiting for sleep studies2, delaying access to care and increasing pressure on clinical teams already stretched to capacity.
The human cost is all too clear. Kevin, a patient at one of the pilot sites, told us: “When I was told I might have sleep apnoea, I stopped driving long distances immediately. As a programme manager for a large logistics provider covering the country, that had a real impact on my work and added hours to every journey. I just wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible.”3
Kevin’s experience is far from unusual. In the UK, obstructive sleep apnoea affects an estimated 8 million people4, a number projected to rise to nearly 12 million by 2050.5 As prevalence rises, the gap between demand for diagnosis and available capacity is expected to widen, underlining the need for scalable, technology-enabled services.
Mark Weatherhead, consultant in respiratory medicine at Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust, knows this pressure first-hand. “Demand for sleep apnoea services has roughly doubled since 2019, and we were just about keeping pace, but only with a great deal of effort,” he says. “When we piloted AirConnect Dx, our waiting list just plummeted. Anywhere that has a backlog and is struggling with their services, this is an option people should definitely be looking at.”6
AirConnect Dx provides a fully digital, service-based diagnostic pathway that integrates referral, screening, home sleep testing, reporting, logistics, and patient support into a single, coordinated service under clinical oversight. The pathway also integrates with NHS Spine for patient verification, helping reduce manual administration and duplication of work for clinical teams.
Early NHS service evaluations across three pilot sites demonstrate the impact, including a 90-97 per cent reduction in referral-to-diagnosis time. Retest rates fell to between 0-7 per cent, from 10-18 per cent within traditional pathways, and diagnostic capacity increased by up to three times using existing staff.7
Julia Roberts, respiratory physiology service manager at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales, has seen those numbers translate into practice. “Implementing AirConnect Dx has transformed our diagnostic pathway,” she says. “We have significantly cut waiting times and simplified the process for both patients and staff. Most importantly, patients are getting treated before their condition worsens.”8
By saving healthcare professionals’ time and reducing operational burden, AirConnect Dx can help free clinical teams from repetitive administrative tasks and create more capacity for higher-value clinical activities, including patient consultations, treatment initiation, and ongoing care.
We know sleep services are under immense pressure, and long diagnostic waiting times can impact patients’ health and quality of life, as Kevin’s experience shows. AirConnect Dx is designed to simplify and scale the diagnostic pathway by supporting NHS teams to move patients from referral to diagnosis more efficiently, helping accelerate access to care for the millions of people who need it.
To find out more about AirConnect Dx, please visit resmed.co.uk/dx
References
1 Darley et al. Real-World Implementation of a Fully Digital Diagnostic Pathway for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in the NHS: A Multi-Site Service Evaluation. Presented at ARTP Conference 2026.
2 NHS Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity Report: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/DWTA-February-2026-Report.pdf; accessed May 14, 2026
3 This testimonial is a genuine and documented account of the individual’s experience with the AirConnect DX service. Individual outcomes and experiences may vary. This testimonial does not constitute a warranty, guarantee or indication that other individuals will achieve the same or similar results.
4 Ali et al. Incidence, Characteristics, and Management Pathways of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in England: A 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study, CHEST Pulmonary, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2026, 100221, ISSN 2949-7892, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chpulm.2025.100221.
5 Boers et al. Projecting the future burden of OSA in EU5 countries accounting for body mass index. Presented at the 2025 ERS Congress, in session “Emerging insights in diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing”.
6 This testimonial reflects the healthcare professional’s personal experience and clinical practice, supported by relevant data available at the time of publication. It should not be interpreted as state-of-the-art.
7 Darley et al. Real-World Implementation of a Fully Digital Diagnostic Pathway for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in the NHS: A Multi-Site Service Evaluation. Presented at ARTP Conference 2026.
8 This testimonial reflects the healthcare professional’s personal experience and clinical practice, supported by relevant data available at the time of publication. It should not be interpreted as state-of-the-art.
