RHCG - Respiratory and Sleep Physiology

Respiratory and Sleep Physiology

The Department of Respiratory & Sleep Physiology performs lung function, exercise tests, gastro investigations and sleep studies in paediatric patients in both an inpatient and outpatient setting.

Our two departments interlink to provide a broad understanding of patients who primarily have respiratory problems, and require input from a specialist respiratory team. We currently have nine qualified respiratory/sleep physiologists, one trainee clinical scientist and one assistant physiologist. The broader multidisciplinary team consists of respiratory consultants, specialist nurses, physiotherapists and dieticians.

The use of objective physiological testing is invaluable to medical staff when making important decisions about patient care, diagnosis and treatment. We aim to use the most robust, peer reviewed guidelines to provide a high class service to children and young people.

What is a respiratory and sleep physiologist?

Respiratory & sleep physiologists are healthcare scientists who specialise in the assessment of the human respiratory system. They perform diagnostic investigations to evaluate the function of the heart and lungs. They also evaluate breathing whilst patients are asleep in order to diagnose sleep-disordered breathing conditions.

Being referred to the department

Referrals come into our service from a variety of specialties within RHC as well as other paediatric centres in the West of Scotland and beyond. A large number of our patients are referred from respiratory but several other departments such as ENT, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Cardio-thoracic, Neurology, Neonatology, Physiotherapy and Haematology utilise our service.

Typical patients who attend for lung function & exercise testing would be Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and Bronchiectasis. A sleep investigation will diagnose if the patient has obstructive sleep apnoea or a central sleep breathing problem. We also study patients who are in home oxygen and those who are on nocturnal non-invasive ventilation as well as patients who have tracheostomies and use long-term ventilation.

How to find us

The lung function lab is located at Clinic 9, Outpatients Department, RHC.
The sleep investigation lab is located in Ward 1A, RHC.

Our team at RHC

Paul (Department Manager)

My name is Paul and I am a Respiratory & Sleep Clinical Scientist. I've worked in respiratory & sleep physiology since 2006, starting my career in adults and moved to the children's hospital in 2009. I currently manage the respiratory & sleep physiology department. I come from a sports science background and my areas of expertise are pulmonary function and cardio-pulmonary exercise testing in paediatric heart and lung disease. I love working with children, interacting with the families and find the job very rewarding and fun. We have a great team of physiologists in the department which makes my job easier!

Elise (Team Lead for Sleep)

My name is Elise. I have been a Respiratory Physiologist since 2004 and initially worked with adults before moving to the children’s hospital in 2010. I am the Team Lead for Sleep, and the most rewarding part of my job is being able to help children who have sleep-disordered breathing whether it is starting them on non-invasive ventilation or making sure they are receiving the correct level of oxygen therapy. It is great fun working with children and it always amazes me how resilient kids are, even when they are going through tough times.

Colleen (Team Lead for Lung Function & CPET)

My name is Colleen. I have worked in respiratory physiology since 2003 and in the Royal Hospital for Children since 2010. I am currently the lead physiologist in the respiratory lab. I come from a physiology background and my areas of interest are pulmonary function and cardio-pulmonary exercise testing in the paediatric setting. I have previous experience working within an adult setting however I love working with children. I feel privileged and proud to be part of the respiratory team within the children’s hospital.

Scott

My name is Scott and I began my career at Yorkhill Children’s Hospital as an assistant respiratory physiologist almost a decade ago. Since then I have worked at various adult hospitals before returning to the RHC in 2019. My main passion lies in paediatrics and I feel lucky to be part of a great team, in which everyone pulls in the same direction to ensure the highest quality support is given to each patient. Although I graduated with a Master’s degree in Sport & Exercise science, I really enjoy the variation of my job. The children I see on a daily basis are fun to work with and I love testing, teaching and chatting with them and their parents.

Gemma

My name is Gemma and I have been a Respiratory Physiologist at the Royal Hospital for Children since 2019. I am originally from Ireland and came to Glasgow for university. After graduating, I worked in adult respiratory physiology for a number of years and completed the Scientist Training Programme, before moving into paediatrics. I love all aspects of my job, but I especially enjoy working closely with our young patients and their families and providing them with a positive hospital experience.

Elizabeth

My name is Elizabeth. I've worked in respiratory physiology since 2005 and in the children's hospital since 2009. I work as a respiratory physiologist in sleep, pulmonary function and exercise testing. I did a degree in physiology then trained in both adults and the children's respiratory labs. I really enjoy my job and meeting all the children and their families. We have a really good team of physiologists and the respiratory team is a great one to be a part of.

Rebecca

My name is Rebecca and I am a Research and Development Respiratory Physiologist. I moved to Glasgow in 2013 and completed my degree in physiology and Sports Science. I started as a Respiratory Physiologist in 2020 in adult services but recently moved to work in Paediatrics. I have only worked in Paediatrics for a number of months but have met some wonderful people and I am excited about my future work within the department.

Cameron

My name is Cameron and I am currently a trainee clinical scientist in the respiratory and sleep lab at the Glasgow Children’s Hospital, currently developing my skills and knowledge as a respiratory and sleep physiologist. Prior to working in respiratory, I used to work full time as fitness coach for a number of football teams. I find working in Respiratory science really interesting and really enjoy helping patients performing pulmonary function tests. I love the variance of each day and find working with children and young people really rewarding.

Claire

I’m Claire and I’ve been working in Paediatric Respiratory Physiology for 17 years now. After graduating from Glasgow University with a BSc (Hons) Physiology and Sports Science, I initially began working as a Research Assistant at Leicester University on a National Asthma Campaign Research Project investigating innovative tests that could diagnose asthma in infants and on the ECMO 1 and 7 year follow up trial. I also spent an enjoyable time at Inselspital Bern, Switzerland learning about these new tests that we had to implement on our return. After five years teaching Physical Education in Northumberland, I joined the RHC (Yorkhill) team in 2008. Over the years the service has grown as equipment, technology and the skills and capabilities of the staff have developed. I enjoy working with children and their families and it has given me great satisfaction to see infants, develop into children and finally transfer to adult services.

Dawn

My name is Dawn. I have worked in the Children's hospital as an Assistant Respiratory and Sleep Physiologist since 2022. I studied Physiology and Sports Science at The University of Glasgow. I love working with children and learning about the different types of lung function tests. I am excited to continue to learn from my colleagues and develop my knowledge and understanding of respiratory and sleep physiology