VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

We have now been able to re-start our sleep study service, but due to extra safety precautions that are now in place to protect both you and us against any COVID-19 risks, there will be a few days delay issuing your results due to our quarantine procedures when equipment is returned.

Your order guarantees you a place on our waiting list which does vary on demand (approximately a week under normal circumstances), and once your place comes up and we are able to send a testing device to you we will contact you  with the relevant forms we require completing before sending the equipment.

PLEASE NOTE:-  The sleep apnoea screening device we send out is the Stowood Black Flash recording monitor which is worn around the waist with a finger pulse oximeter attached to the finger and breathing cannulas.  We need to contact you before sending out this expensive equipment to ensure you are available to take the test immediately and will be in to receive delivery which requires a signature, so please ensure you give us both an email address and telephone number where we can reach you quicker.  If we cannot get hold of you we will contact the next person on the waiting list until you reply to our email or voicemail.

Our screening test is a Diagnostic Sleep Apnoea Screening Sleep Study Test for adults who suspect they are sufferers of obstructive sleep apnoea. 

This is not a diagnosis for UARS, and in fact no home sleep study equipment can do that, even based on RERA's (respiratory effort related arousals) which some equipment provides, although the sleep consultants manually scoring our results can often see if UARS is suspected.  The gold standard diagnosis for UARS is Esophageal Manometry (Pes) or at the least a Drug-induced Sleep Endoscopy.  It should also be stated that many people who believe they are suffering from UARS are surprised to discover they actually have sleep apnoea, so a sleep study is certainly worth investigating first.  Please see our information page on UARS (Upper Airways Resistance Syndrome).

The results will will be analysed by a qualified and highly regarded independent registered Sleep Consultant with many years experience, who will provide a clinical diagnostic report with recommendations, or if sleep apnoea does not show up, advice will still be given.  You will also be given free support by our charity throughout this process.

Once you have the results of your sleep study and, if sleep apnoea shows up, you can take the results to your GP who should then refer you to your local sleep clinic.  The Stowood equipment we use is the same diagnostic equipment used in many UK sleep clinics, but depending on the sleep clinic they may still want to do a repeat sleep study, although some are happy to use the results from this private sleep test.  Alternatively, and especially during this COVID-19 pandemic we are facing, if obstructive sleep apnoea is diagnosed and  CPAP is recommended by the independent sleep consultant and you are struggling to get a referral to a sleep clinic, you can purchase the equipment yourself, for which we are more than happy to help you with.  For an example of costs, see this page on our website for the CPAP machines www.hope2sleep.co.uk/cpap-machines and you will also require a suitable mask - again we will do our best to advise you on the type of mask you would need.  If you did take this private route, we would still advise you to be referred to a sleep clinic when you are able to, so that you are treated and monitored under the supervision of qualified sleep clinicians.

If you've not already seen our page on the signs and symptoms of sleep apnoea, please go to this link on our website https://www.hope2sleep.co.uk/sleep-apnoea-information.html where you will also see that untreated sleep apnoea is most certainly a big risk factor to a person's health, hence why we offer this service.

CPAP machines are a medical device requiring a prescription/diagnosis for a very good reason which is why they should only be purchased following a sleep study like this one we provide, with a diagnosis by a qualified sleep consultant.  There are different types of CPAP machines needed for different patients, depending on many factors, so purchasing the wrong kind of machine can actually make the sleep apnoea worse on some occasions, or may not even resolve the problem.

For people who only wish to check on oxygen desaturations please see the alternative pulse  oximetry screening test hire which is suitable for people already using CPAP.  Please note that the alternative pulse oximetry test is not foolproof for diagnosing sleep apnoea as it will only show whether you are having oxygen desaturations during the night, for which there can be other causes.   

IMPORTANT

Due to the fact this sleep screening test is very popular, sometimes there is a delay before we can send a device out, but you will be added to our waiting list and informed via email or telephone when to expect it and also sent given a tracking number.  

• This Sleep Study is for diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Adults only.
• You DO NOT need a GP referral for this test.
• Any personal details which are required in order to take this sleep study will not be shared with anyone else, apart from the registered independent sleep consultant, in order to diagnose or report back to you with the results.
• The results of the test are confidential, and shall not be shared with anybody else without your instructions.
• This particular test is NOT recommended for people already on CPAP as it would require coming off the treatment, which should only be done under guidance of your sleep clinicians. 
• You can hire the equipment for an extra night which is actually advisable, with separate reports created, and do bear in mind that separate nights recordings would rarely show up the exact same results, as the severity of sleep apnoea often varies from night to night, depending on medications taken, certain foods eaten, alcohol consumption, body temperature, allergies, and nasal stuffiness etc.
• Please ensure you use and then return our device promptly, as this slows down the process and is unfair on those waiting.
• You are paying for the loan of the equipment only, and the subsequent report(s) which will be sent to you, and it must be returned to us via the stamped-addressed recorded delivery packaging provided.  Failure to send back the kit promptly may incur extra charges before the results are sent! 
• We do not ship this item out of the United Kingdom.
• It is always advisable to ensure you are treated under the supervision of a registered sleep doctor for a diagnosis of sleep apnoea, and we always advise this where it's possible.

ORDERS

We try our best to ship all orders received by us Monday-Friday on the same working day if received before 12 noon, and more often than not orders processed before 3 pm will be despatched the same day whenever possible.  Weekend or UK bank holiday orders are sent out the next working day.  An automated email is sent when products have been despatched so please check your spam box and add us to your safe senders list.  Also, if you do not receive an email confirmation, please check that you have typed the correct email address in your account.

All orders are sent via 1st class mail within the UK.  Masks and some other more expensive products are always sent via 'signed for' insured delivery and cannot be left in 'safe' places, but there is the option for an alternative shipping address when processing the orders.   International orders are sent via tracked Airmail, and whilst we're happy to ship internationally, we cannot be held responsible for any charges that may be added in your own country.

Delivery charges are worked out automatically by weight and you can clearly see the delivery charges before purchase.  On the rare occasion delivery charges are miscalculated by the website, a refund will be sent, as it is not our policy to make money on postage charges and neither do we add the cost of delivery into the price and offer so-called  'free delivery' like some sites and Ebay pressurise sellers to do!

Wherever possible with larger parcels, we try to re-use boxes to keep shipping costs down and protect the environment.

If a product is out of stock and the order contains multiple items, the 'in stock' items will be sent immediately and further items will follow upon arrival with no further postage charges incurred.  

RETURNS

Masks, CPAP machines and and most other products are exempt from a refund or exchange unless faulty due to health and hygiene issues (as stated in our 'Terms and Conditions'), and in particular due to the risk of cross contamination as they cannot be re-sold. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 28.(3)(a) confirms exemption as follows:-  "exemption in the case of a contract for the supply of sealed goods which are not suitable for return due to health protection or hygiene reasons, if they become unsealed after delivery."

Unopened (sealed) products in their original packing can be returned within 14 days for a refund of the product cost, but the purchaser is to pay the return postage, and we would advise retaining proof of postage.  This excludes any faulty goods, for which postage will be reimbursed.  A full refund for the price of the product will be issued when received by us, less the original postage charges when the order was sent to you.