Concierge respiratory care · UK
Oxygen therapy - assessed properly, prescribed precisely.
Home oxygen, ambulatory cylinders, portable concentrators and hyperbaric courses - but only after a consultant chest physician has proven with blood gases that oxygen will genuinely help you.
Why patients choose us
- 01
A respiratory consultant makes the call
Oxygen is a prescribed drug with a target range - not a gadget. A named consultant chest physician assesses you with blood gases before anything is supplied.
- 02
Assessment first, equipment second
Resting and ambulatory oxygen assessments decide whether you need oxygen at all, at what flow, and for how many hours - so you never rent kit you do not need.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic or equipment supplier, so the recommendation - including “you do not need oxygen” - is impartial and costs you nothing.
Indicative pricing
What private oxygen therapy costs in the UK.
Indicative ranges across our partner respiratory units and equipment suppliers. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options, with cover checked.
In short
A full home oxygen assessment in our network: £350–£700, report within days.
| Procedure | Indicative range | Typical duration | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory consultant consultation | £250–£400 | 30–45 min | Same visit |
| Home oxygen assessment (blood gases + titration) | £350–£700 | 60–90 min | Report in days |
| Ambulatory oxygen assessment (walk testing) | £250–£500 | 45–60 min | Same visit |
| Home concentrator rental | £150–£300/month | Ongoing | Installed in days |
| Portable oxygen concentrator purchase | £1,800–£3,500 | One-off | 1–2 weeks |
| Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (per session) | £150–£350 | 60–120 min | Course of 10–40 |
| Overnight oximetry study | £150–£300 | One night | Report in days |
Prices vary by clinic, by the equipment (concentrator rental versus portable purchase), and by how many sessions a hyperbaric course needs. Ongoing rental and consumables are always itemised up front. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
The right assessment, the right flow rate, and no equipment you do not need.
Home oxygen goes wrong in predictable ways - devices sold without blood gases, breathlessness treated with oxygen it cannot fix, and smokers put at real fire risk. We fix all three before anything is installed.
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Oxygen treats low oxygen, not breathlessness
If your saturations are normal, oxygen will not ease breathlessness - a fan, rehab and the right drugs will. We say so honestly.
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Blood gases before equipment
Eligibility for long-term oxygen rests on arterial blood gases, repeated when stable - not on a fingertip probe in a shop.
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Titrated to a target, reviewed on a date
A written flow-rate prescription, a target saturation range and a booked re-assessment - because needs change in both directions.
The journey
From enquiry to recovery - what happens, in order.
One team from first message through assessment, installation and every re-titration.
Phase 1 · Before your oxygen starts
Consultant review, lung tests, blood gases
Phase 2 · On the day
Titration and set-up
Phase 3 · After
Review and re-titration
- 01
Before
You tell us what is going on
A short, confidential form. Your diagnosis (COPD, fibrosis, heart failure), breathlessness pattern, oxygen saturations if known, and any smoking history.
- 02
Before
We come back with a recommendation
Within one working day: the right assessment - long-term oxygen, ambulatory oxygen, or hyperbaric - the right consultant, and an indicative price.
- 03
Before
Consultant review and lung tests
Clinic review with spirometry, oxygen saturation and, where needed, a chest X-ray or CT to pin down why your oxygen level is low.
- 04
Before
Blood gas assessment
An arterial or earlobe blood gas at rest - repeated three weeks apart when stable - is the test that decides whether long-term oxygen will actually help you.
- 05
On the day
Titration and walk testing
Oxygen is titrated to a target saturation; a six-minute walk test with and without oxygen checks whether ambulatory cylinders genuinely improve your distance.
- 06
On the day
Equipment set-up at home
Concentrator, cylinders or portable device installed at home with fire-safety checks, training for you and your family, and a written flow-rate prescription.
- 07
After
Review and re-titration
Repeat oximetry and blood gases at 3 months, then at least annually. Flow rates are adjusted, and oxygen is withdrawn if you no longer need it.
Typical end-to-end: 1–2 weeks from enquiry to a completed assessment, with home equipment installed within days of prescription.
When it helps
When oxygen therapy is the right step.
The situations we see most, plus the one red flag that means A&E rather than a home oxygen enquiry.
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Severe COPD with low oxygen
The classic indication - resting saturations persistently at or below 92 percent deserve a formal blood-gas assessment.
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Pulmonary fibrosis and ILD
Interstitial lung disease often desaturates on exertion first - ambulatory oxygen can restore walking distance and confidence.
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Pulmonary hypertension
Low oxygen tightens lung blood vessels and worsens the condition - correcting it is part of the treatment plan.
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Chronic heart failure with hypoxaemia
Selected patients with persistently low oxygen despite optimal cardiac treatment benefit from assessment.
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Cluster headache
High-flow oxygen at 12–15 L/min through a non-rebreathe mask is a proven, drug-free way to abort attacks.
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Palliative breathlessness
When a life-limiting illness causes hypoxic breathlessness, oxygen can ease symptoms - though a fan and morphine often help more when oxygen is normal.
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Problem wounds and radiation injury
Hyperbaric oxygen has a role in diabetic foot ulcers, radiation tissue damage and refractory osteomyelitis in selected cases.
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Red flag: sudden severe breathlessness
New, rapidly worsening breathlessness or saturations below 88 percent is an emergency - 999 or A&E, not a home oxygen enquiry.
Procedure options
The type of oxygen depends on when - and why - you desaturate.
What each option involves - from long-term home oxygen through ambulatory and portable devices to hyperbaric courses.
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Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT)
Oxygen for at least 15 hours a day, usually from a home concentrator. The only form proven to extend life in severely hypoxic COPD.
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Ambulatory oxygen
Lightweight cylinders or a portable concentrator for exertion - prescribed only when walk testing shows it genuinely improves distance or saturation.
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Home oxygen concentrators
Mains-powered machines that strip nitrogen from room air. Quiet, continuous, no deliveries - the backbone of home oxygen in the UK.
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Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs)
Battery-powered, flight-approved devices delivering pulsed oxygen. Ideal for travel, but not suitable for everyone - flow must be checked against your need.
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Cylinder oxygen
Compressed gas as back-up, for short outings, or for high-flow use such as cluster headache. Static and lightweight ambulatory sizes exist.
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Short-burst oxygen
A few minutes of oxygen for relief before or after exertion. Weak evidence - modern guidance recommends assessment rather than habit.
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Nocturnal oxygen
Overnight oxygen for those who desaturate only in sleep - assessed with overnight oximetry, and always distinguished from sleep apnoea, which needs CPAP instead.
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
100 percent oxygen in a pressurised chamber over a course of sessions - for decompression illness, radiation injury and selected problem wounds at accredited UK chambers.
Our vetted UK network
A small panel of chest physicians, we picked them.
Consultant respiratory physicians and accredited hyperbaric units across London and the major UK cities. Introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every respiratory unit in our network.
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Consultant respiratory physicians who run formal home oxygen assessment services
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Blood gas analysis, spirometry and walk testing available at the same visit
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Prescriptions follow BTS home oxygen guidelines - never equipment-led selling
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Accredited hyperbaric chambers only, for the indications with real evidence
Safety and recovery
What to expect afterwards - honestly.
Oxygen is one of the safest treatments in medicine when prescribed properly - and genuinely dangerous around cigarettes and flames. Here is what to plan for.
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Oxygen and smoking do not mix
Home oxygen plus a cigarette, e-cigarette or open flame causes devastating burns. UK services will not install oxygen in a home where smoking near the equipment continues.
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Too much oxygen can harm
In COPD with carbon dioxide retention, over-oxygenation can suppress breathing. This is why flow rates are prescribed to a target saturation, not turned up for comfort.
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Dryness, nosebleeds and skin irritation
Nasal cannulae dry the nose and can chafe the ears and cheeks. Humidification, barrier products and well-fitted tubing solve most of it.
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Trip hazards and home safety
Fifty feet of tubing is a fall risk. Installation includes fire-safety checks, positioning away from heat sources, and notifying your home insurer and fire service.
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Hyperbaric-specific risks
Ear barotrauma is the most common issue; temporary short-sightedness and, rarely, oxygen toxicity seizures can occur. Accredited chambers screen for all of it.
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Red flags on home oxygen
Morning headaches, new drowsiness or confusion on oxygen suggest carbon dioxide retention - same-day medical review, do not simply turn the flow up or down yourself.
Reading your oxygen assessment
Your oxygen assessment in four parts. Read the last one first.
Whether you were assessed for home, ambulatory or hyperbaric oxygen, the report your consultant sends keeps to the same shape.
A quiet reminder
Blood gas numbers can look alarming out of context - we translate them for you.
If you would like us to talk you through the kilopascals, target ranges and flow rates before your review, just ask.
- 01 Header
Diagnosis and indication
Why oxygen was assessed - the underlying lung or heart condition, your smoking status, and which type of oxygen therapy was considered.
- 02 Technique
Blood gases and walk tests
Your arterial or earlobe gas results at rest, saturations on exertion, and how you responded to oxygen during titration.
- 03 Findings
Prescription and equipment
The flow rate in litres per minute, hours per day, at rest and on exertion - and the concentrator, cylinders or portable device supplied.
- 04 Impression
Targets, review dates, safety
Read this first: your target saturation range, when re-assessment is due, and the fire-safety and travel advice that comes with the prescription.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Assessment and consultant fees are usually covered when medically indicated; long-term equipment rental often is not, and hyperbaric cover depends on the indication. We confirm exactly what your policy pays before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about oxygen therapy.
Quick answers on who qualifies, survival benefit, flying, hyperbaric courses, cost and the NHS pathway.
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What is oxygen therapy?
Oxygen therapy is the prescribed use of supplemental oxygen - through nasal cannulae, a mask, or a pressurised hyperbaric chamber - to correct low blood oxygen or treat specific conditions. At home it usually means a concentrator for long-term use, with cylinders or a portable device for going out.
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Who actually needs long-term home oxygen?
People whose resting blood oxygen is persistently low when stable - broadly an arterial PaO2 below 7.3 kPa (or below 8 kPa with complications such as pulmonary hypertension), confirmed on two blood gases three weeks apart. Breathlessness alone, with normal oxygen levels, is not an indication - and oxygen will not relieve it.
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Does home oxygen help you live longer?
In severely hypoxic COPD, yes - long-term oxygen used for at least 15 hours a day improves survival. That benefit has not been shown for people with only mildly low or normal oxygen, which is why a proper assessment matters more than the equipment.
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Can I fly or travel with oxygen?
Usually, with planning. Airlines accept approved portable oxygen concentrators with sufficient battery, and a fitness-to-fly (hypoxic challenge) test can confirm what flow you need at altitude. We arrange the test and the paperwork alongside the assessment.
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How much does private oxygen therapy cost in the UK?
A consultant assessment with blood gases is typically £350–£700, concentrator rental £150–£300 a month, and a portable concentrator £1,800–£3,500 to buy. Hyperbaric oxygen runs £150–£350 per session, usually as a course. We confirm firm figures within one working day.
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Is home oxygen available on the NHS?
Yes - home oxygen is free on the NHS once a hospital oxygen service assesses and prescribes it, with equipment supplied by regional contractors. The private route is mainly used for faster assessment, travel oxygen and portable concentrators, or hyperbaric courses the NHS does not fund for your indication.
Related treatments
Looking for something else?
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COPD care
Diagnosis and long-term management of COPD.
Learn more -
Lung function testing
Spirometry and full pulmonary function tests.
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CT scan
Chest CT to pin down the cause of low oxygen.
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Sleep apnoea
When the problem is sleep, not oxygen.
Learn more -
Pulmonary rehabilitation
Exercise-based treatment for breathlessness.
Learn more -
All tests & procedures
Every test and procedure we arrange.
Learn more