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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.

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Indicative pricing

What private oxygen therapy costs in the UK.

Indicative ranges across UK respiratory units and equipment suppliers.

In short

£350–£700, report within days.

Procedure Indicative range
Respiratory consultant consultation £250–£400
Home oxygen assessment (blood gases + titration) £350–£700
Ambulatory oxygen assessment (walk testing) £250–£500
Home concentrator rental £150–£300/month
Portable oxygen concentrator purchase £1,800–£3,500
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (per session) £150–£350
Overnight oximetry study £150–£300

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.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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.

  • Severe COPD with low oxygen

    The classic indication - resting saturations persistently at or below 92 percent deserve a formal blood-gas assessment.

  • Pulmonary fibrosis and ILD

    Interstitial lung disease often desaturates on exertion first - ambulatory oxygen can restore walking distance and confidence.

  • Pulmonary hypertension

    Low oxygen tightens lung blood vessels and worsens the condition - correcting it is part of the treatment plan.

  • Chronic heart failure with hypoxaemia

    Selected patients with persistently low oxygen despite optimal cardiac treatment benefit from assessment.

  • Cluster headache

    High-flow oxygen at 12–15 L/min through a non-rebreathe mask is a proven, drug-free way to abort attacks.

  • 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.

  • Problem wounds and radiation injury

    Hyperbaric oxygen has a role in diabetic foot ulcers, radiation tissue damage and refractory osteomyelitis in selected cases.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Ambulatory oxygen

    Lightweight cylinders or a portable concentrator for exertion - prescribed only when walk testing shows it genuinely improves distance or saturation.

  • Home oxygen concentrators

    Mains-powered machines that strip nitrogen from room air. Quiet, continuous, no deliveries - the backbone of home oxygen in the UK.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Short-burst oxygen

    A few minutes of oxygen for relief before or after exertion. Weak evidence - modern guidance recommends assessment rather than habit.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 UK respiratory consultant reviewing a patient’s blood gas results

A quiet reminder

Blood gas numbers can look alarming out of context - ask your care team to explain them if anything is unclear.

Ask your care team to explain anything that is unclear.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

BupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealixBupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealixBupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealix

Assessment and consultant fees are usually covered when medically indicated; long-term equipment rental often is not, and hyperbaric cover depends on the indication.

Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about oxygen therapy.

Quick answers on who qualifies, survival benefit, flying, hyperbaric courses, cost and the NHS pathway.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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