NORTHERN Health has launched its first dedicated public sleep service, marking a transformative step in addressing a long-standing gap in access to sleep medicine for communities across Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Located at Northern Hospital Epping, the new Sleep Centre introduces a digitally enabled, person-centred model of care that is reshaping how sleep health is delivered. Until now, all sleep testing at Northern Health was outsourced to external providers, both public and private, leading to long wait times, high out-of-pocket costs, and limited access to clinical support. These barriers were particularly challenging for patients with time-critical conditions.
The Sleep Centre features a six-bed laboratory with capacity for both overnight and daytime testing, including assessments for hypersomnia. It offers a streamlined, multidisciplinary model of care designed to improve access, reduce delays, and deliver timely treatment for conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), insomnia, and parasomnias.
Dr Katharine See, Director of Respiratory and Chief Outcomes Officer at Northern Health, said the service was a powerful example of how innovation can drive equity.
“By prioritising those most at risk and supporting people through digital pathways, we are improving access and delivering the outcomes that matter most to our community,” she said.
What sets the Sleep Centre apart is its innovative, digitally enabled care pathway delivered through the My Health@Northern app. Before their first consultation, patients complete an evidence-based questionnaire via SMS, enabling clinicians to identify those at highest risk and prioritise them for care.
The pathway continues to support patients while they are on treatment, providing trusted education resources, tracking symptoms, treatment responses, and quality of life, and enhancing patients’ ability to stay engaged and adhere to their care plan.
This approach not only empowers patients to manage their health from home, it also improves long-term outcomes while freeing up clinician time for more individualised care.
The launch aligns with Northern Health’s values of Safe, Kind, Together and its strategic goal of delivering high-quality, sustainable, person-centred care. By integrating diagnostics, consultation, and treatment into a single, streamlined pathway, the Sleep Service not only improves outcomes – it restores dignity and control to people navigating complex health challenges.
