Dr Oscroft is a respiratory physician within the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre. He has a special interest in sleep medicine and respiratory support. This includes expertise in respiratory (eg obstructive sleep apnoea) and non-respiratory (eg restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy) sleep disorders. He also has experience in the management of patients requiring domiciliary non-invasive ventilatory support and the weaning of tracheostomised patients from invasive mechanical ventilation.

He is clinical lead for the Royal Papworth Adult Ataxia Telangiectasia Service, a nationally commissioned service providing holistic MDT lead care to a complex group of patients. His research interests include the use of non-invasive ventilation in COPD patients with chronic ventilatory failure, Ataxia Telangiectasia and the impact of CPAP and other therapies in OSA.

Specialist Clinical Interests
  • Ventilatory failure associated with COPD, neuromuscular disorders, obesity and thoracic deformity
  • Sleep apnoea, the restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia and circadian rhythm disorders
  • Clinical lead for National Adult Ataxia Telangiectasia service
Research Interests

The management of chronic ventilatory failure associated with COPD with non-invasive ventilation.

Education and Training

MB BS St George’s Hospital Medical School 1997
MRCP (Lon) 2000
MD University of London 2009
CCT Respiratory and General Internal Medicine 2009
FRCP (Lon) 2014
Post Graduate Certificate Medical Education 2016

Current membership(s) of professional, national and regional bodies and university posts

General Medical Council - Registration No: 4433488
Fellow Royal College of Physicians
Member British Thoracic Society
Member British Sleep Society

Recent and Important Publications

Patrick B. Murphy, PhD1,2; Sunita Rehal, MSc3; Gill Arbane, BSc (Hons)1; Stephen Bourke, PhD4,5; Peter M. A. Calverley, PhD6; Angela M. Crook, PhD3; Lee Dowson, MD7; Nicholas Duffy, MD8; G. John Gibson, MD9; Philip D. Hughes, MD10; John R. Hurst, PhD11; Keir E. Lewis, MD12; Rahul Mukherjee, MD13; Annabel Nickol, PhD14; Nicholas Oscroft, MD15; Maxime Patout, MD1; Justin Pepperell, MD16; Ian Smith, MD15; John R. Stradling, PhD14; Jadwiga A. Wedzicha, PhD17; Michael I. Polkey, PhD17; Mark W. Elliott, MD18; Nicholas Hart, PhD1,2. Effect of Home Noninvasive Ventilation With Oxygen Therapy vs Oxygen Therapy Alone on Hospital Readmission or Death After an Acute COPD Exacerbation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.  JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.4451

Quinnell TG, Bennett M, Jordan J, Clutterbuck-James AL, Davies MG, Smith IE, Oscroft NS, Pittman MA, Cameron M, Chadwick R, Morrell MJ, Glover MJ, Fox-Rushby JA, Sharples LD. A Crossover Randomised Controlled Trial of Oral Mandibular Advancement Devices for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea-Hypopnoea (TOMADO). Thorax. 2014 Jul 17. pii: thoraxjnl-2014-205464. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-205464

Davies MG, Quinnell TG, Oscroft NS, Clutterbuck SP, Shneerson JM, Smith IE. Hospital outcomes and long-term survival after referral to a specialized weaning unit. Br J Anaesth. 2017 Apr 1;118(4):563-569. doi: 10.1093/bja/aex031. PMID: 28403404

Oscroft NS, Quinnell TG, Shneerson JM, Smith IE. The effects of withdrawing long-term nocturnal non-invasive ventilation in COPD patients. COPD. 2010; 7: 111-116

Oscroft NS, Quinnell TG, Shneerson JM, Smith IE. Long-term non-invasive ventilation to manage persistent ventilatory failure after COPD exacerbation. Respirology 2010; 15: 818-822

Oscroft NS, Smith IE. A bench test to confirm the core features of volume assured non-invasive ventilation. Respirology 2010; 15: 361-364