DR CERI SUTHERLAND

WHAT IS A CONSULTANT IN SLEEP MEDICINE?

A Sleep Medicine Consultant is trained to understand why we sleep, what problems a person may have with their sleep , if a sleep disorder is present and how to manage this.

It is not always possible to cure sleep disorders but there are certain ailments, such as Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, that are notifiable to the DVLA and if treated can transform the quality of life of the person suffering from the disorder and make them safer on the roads for themselves and other people.

For insomnia there are tried and tested, evidence based therapies to manage it, along with occasionally resorting to medication-though this is not the recommended first line of treatment. Insomnia is a lonely and frustrating problem for which people can get excellent help from a Sleep Specialist.

HOW I WORK WITH SELECT PSYCHOLOGY

I provide individual and group therapies for people with sleep problems. This can take place either at Select Psychology premises or at our own premises in St Peter’s Marina.

MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

I qualified as a doctor in 1993 from Edinburgh University. In 1995 I started specialist training as an anaesthetist in London after having worked as a junior psychiatrist for several years. Part of my work in psychiatry services was in a drug and alcohol detoxification unit in London. This was where I first became aware of the role of sleep in addiction and mood. I was fortunate to be able to work with Sleep Specialists at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in Kings Cross and also at the then St Thomas’ Sleep Centre (now relocated to Guys Hospital) where I undertook research into narcolepsy and hypersomnolence.

I became a consultant anaesthetist in 2007 and practiced briefly as a consultant at the RNTNE assessing patients with sleep disorders prior to a maternity sabbatical overseas. Our young family moved up to the North of England in 2009 where I have worked as a consultant anaesthetist since 2012. 

In 2015 I took up a role as consultant in Sleep Medicine and anaesthetics at the South Tees Trust and am now the lead for the Sleep Service.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• MBChB Edinburgh University 1993
• Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists 2001
• International Sleep Medicine exam 2012
• Expert Somnologist (ESRS) 2018
• Training course in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia -Great Ormond Street

ACCREDITATION TO PROFESSIONAL BODIES

• Full registration with the General Medical Council
• Member of the Medical Defence Union
• American Association of Sleep M
• British Sleep Society
• European Sleep Research Society 

AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

• Insomnia
• Circadian Rhythm Disturbances (extreme night owls or morning larks)
• Sleep Apnoea