22 November 2021

Iain Wheatley is a sleep and ventilation nurse consultant who leads the Respiratory, TB and Health Improvement teams at Frimley Park Hospital. He specialises in sleep apnoea and other sleep-related disorders.

Having joined Frimley Park Hospital in 1996 Iain has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with his colleagues.

Iain wanted to be a nurse for a long as he can remember. When he left school at 16 he had hoped to go straight into his nurse training, unfortunately you had to be 18 so Iain joined the Army Medical Corps instead where he spent four years on active duty before leaving to pursue his nursing career at West Sussex College of Nursing.

Iain started his Frimley Health journey with a year on a medical ward, before spending the next ten years on the Intensive Care Unit where he also worked in the critical care outreach team.

In 2006 Iain helped set up the Medical Acute Dependency Unit at Frimley Park and was matron there before being approached to help Consultants manage the growing number of patients presenting with sleep disorders.

Iain said: “People trying to get into nursing should take every opportunity presented to them to see all the different specialities of nursing. I loved all my training – both in the community and in hospitals. But I think you need to get a handle on what you enjoy to know what to pursue.

“I don’t think anyone can say they knew what they were going to do or where they were going to end up when they started nursing. It’s just taking the opportunities that arise and developing your own career pathway as you go along.

“Come in with an open mind and see what happens!”

Going forward, Iain hopes to continue to do more research into sleep and respiratory disorders.