Home oxygen therapy is used for the treatment of chronic hypoxaemia once any underlying disease management is optimised and all reversible causes have been identified and treated.

The multi-disciplinary Camden HOS-AR team consists of a combination of specialist respiratory physiotherapists and nurses with support from a respiratory consultant physician and access to specialist smoking cessation support.

The aims of the Camden HOS-AR team are to:

• identify people appropriate for initiation of oxygen therapy 
• initiate oxygen therapy safely and in line with local and national guidance
• optimise benefit from oxygen therapy
• reduce harm from trips, falls, smoking, fire and oxygen toxicity
• maximise value from oxygen equipment use
• improve patient and carer experience of having and using home oxygen.

The Camden HOS-AR team reviews:

• all patients with a new home oxygen prescription within four weeks
• all patients with home oxygen therapy (at least) once a year.

Air Liquide

The home oxygen supplier for Camden is Air Liquide. The Air Liquide team can be contacted via the following routes:

Healthcare Professional Support Team: 080 8202 2099 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am-5pm)
Patient line: 080 8143 9991 (24 hours; will take HCP calls out of hours)
e: allhomecare.hcpsupport@nhs.net

It is essential to assess the safety of any form of home oxygen. Please fill out the Initial Home Oxygen Risk Mitigation/Consent Form (IHORM/HOCF) and Home Oxygen Order Form (HOOF) (see External Links) for home oxygen prior to specialist assessment.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusions

Any person registered with a Camden GP who has been prescribed home oxygen for the management of:

• severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• interstitial lung disease ('pulmonary fibrosis'), including following COVID-19 pneumonitis
• morbid obesity causing nocturnal hypoventilation/obstructive sleep apnoea
• other rarer chronic respiratory diseases
• cardiac (chronic heart failure)
• other causes of chronic hypoxaemia.

The following people who have been prescribed home oxygen will also be seen:

• neonates and children with chronic hypoxia under the care of paediatric or neonatal teams
• patients with chronic-worsening hypoxia with progressive diseases (including cancer), approaching end of life under the care of a palliative care team
• patients prescribed high-flow, short-burst oxygen therapy for cluster headaches (this is the only indication for oxygen to be prescribed without co-existing hypoxia).

How to Refer