Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that vocational drivers with obstructive sleep apnoea are treated within four weeks from first referral.

Local clinical commissioning groups are responsible for assessing the needs of their local populations and for commissioning services to meet those needs. Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and waiting for continuous positive airways pressure therapy are prioritised according to clinical need.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a clinical knowledge summary on obstructive sleep apnoea which recommends urgent referral of those who are sleepy whilst driving or working with machinery, or are employed in hazardous occupations (for example pilot or bus or lorry driver):

http://cks.nice.org.uk/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-syndrome#!scenario

NICE has also published technology appraisal guidance which recommends the use of continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, where certain criteria are met. In addition, it has been commissioned to develop a clinical guideline and quality standard on sleep disordered breathing and will in due course consider which conditions will be covered under the scope of the quality standard. This work has not yet been timetabled into NICE’s future work programme.

There are currently no special provisions for people with sleep apnoea who drive for a living, but this may be considered as part of the guideline, subject to scoping.