Poor sleep and tiredness should never be seen as ‘just the way things are’ – especially not for NHS workers who provide a vital service to the public, according to physiotherapist Louise Rogerson.
Louise is a neurological specialist at Pragmatic People, a company based in north west England. During the summer, she and colleagues teamed up with NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), The Sleep Charity and Levitex to help health and social care staff facing sleep challenges, after more than eight in 10 of them (85 per cent) reported having chronic fatigue. One respondent in four worked in shift patterns.
‘People in health care work long hours and have famously terrible sleep, but often they just get on with it … as a society we can’t just accept that we have millions of staff in our fantastic NHS that just suffer with poor sleep and chronic tiredness’ [Louise Rogerson]
The ICB supported the trial programme as part of an innovation grant funding bid that was facilitated by Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber to tackle health inequalities in the workforce – in this case sleep.
Sleep Posture for Health Equity
The project – titled ‘Sleep Posture for Health Equity’ – is believed to be the first initiative of its kind in the NHS. Three staff members in four (75 per cent) reported experiencing a tangible improvement in the quality of their sleep.
Louise said: ‘People in health care work long hours and have famously terrible sleep, but often they just get on with it – and accept that poor sleep is “just part of the job”. But it shouldn’t be, and as a society we can’t just accept that we have millions of staff in our fantastic NHS that just suffer with poor sleep and chronic tiredness.
‘With the success of this trial, we’ve proven that with the right education and advice, people who suffer with chronic tiredness and poor sleep can actually improve their sleep quality, wake up feeling more refreshed and experience an improved waking state. ‘
She noted: ‘We didn’t focus on having to get eight hours of sleep, because for most it’s unrealistic. Our method focused on how to improve the hours you can get, and the results are groundbreaking. I’m thrilled that NHS South Yorkshire ICB are leading the way in reducing fatigue among their most important people.’
Sleep posture is key
The ICB, which already offered comprehensive sleep support for staff, focuses on the physical factors affecting sleep, and how sleep posture – involving the position people fall asleep in and ways to avoid provocative postures – affects sleep quality and nightly disturbance.
Starting with a face-to-face workshop delivered by The Sleep Charity, participants shared their struggles before receiving specialist sleep posture training, one-to-one consultations led by Pragmatic People, and a free Levitex pillow to support healthier sleep posture.
At the start of the programme, most participants (90 per cent) said they experienced difficulties in staying asleep, with 63 per cent feeling uncomfortable in bed and 48 per cent stating that pain prevented them from sleeping better.
Sleep quality improved in just a fortnight
Within just two weeks, three participants in four (75 per cent) reported measurable improvements in sleep quality, after putting consultation-led advice into action.
Six in 10 (63 per cent) reported an improvement in how rested they felt on waking, while a similar percentage (64 per cent) experienced fewer night-time disturbances. The proportion of staff who woke up feeling tired fell from 85 per cent to just 27 per cent.
Louise added: ‘This trial shows that there are simple, actionable ways to improve sleep quality and help people feel more rested and alert, even if they don’t get enough hours. It’s about making the sleep you do get count.
‘This study is a wake-up-call to how much sleep education and postural changes can help transform lives. It proves that chronic tiredness doesn’t have to be inevitable. There are practical changes you can make that make an immediate difference. You might not believe that it’s possible, but neither did most of the participants who now sleep better.’
Benefits for staff, patients and communities
Natalie Wong, South Yorkshire Innovation Hub’s programme manager, said: ‘The wellbeing of our NHS workforce underpins the care we deliver every day. What’s been most powerful about this project is seeing how something as simple as understanding how you sleep could make such an impact on both life and work.’
Natalie added: ‘Staff who joined the pilot have reported better rest, less pain on waking and more energy – things that not only benefit them, but benefit the patients and communities they serve.’
Shortlisted for national award
The project has been shortlisted in the 2026 HSJ Partnership Awards, with the winners due to be announced at a ceremony in London on 19 March 2026.
Brigitte Kaviani, South Yorkshire ICB’s programme director of people experience said: ‘We are very proud of the fantastic results of our sleep project, which was an initiative to address health inequalities – the factors which mean that some people are more vulnerable to ill health than others.’
Brigitte added: ‘Our ICB has a strong focus on sleep as a basis for good health and this project built on the success of our Sleep School and existing relationships with Levitex, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and the Sleep Charity.’
Next steps
In due course, a dedicated sleep posture training model could be rolled out more widely across the NHS and to other organisations with a strong commitment to staff wellbeing.
Levitex will continue sponsoring monthly peer support sessions, which offer support to colleagues who often feel alone in their struggles. These groups also provide access to the advice and guidance to those who missed out on places in the trial.
For more information about the sleep trial, visit the Levitex website.
Image: Shutterstock
