§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if his Department has studied reports on the use of oxygen concentrators in the United States of 555W America, Germany and France; if he will publish the results in the Official Report; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many studies have been made by his Department, by official working parties, supply committees and others into the provision of concentrators instead of cylinders of oxygen for home oxygen therapy; if he will summarise their results; and if he will make a statement.
(3) when the results of the pilot study commissioned by his Department to determine the feasibility of providing concentrators instead of cylinders for patients in need of home oxygen therapy will be known; and whether the results of this study will be made available.
§ Mr. John PattenArticles published in the USA on the use of oxygen concentrators in that country have been studied in the Department. They indicate that long-term oxygen therapy is pro rata prescribed more widely than in the United Kingdom and some estimates suggest that approximately 20 to 25 per cent. of all US patients on domiciliary oxygen have concentrators. We have not studied reports into the use of concentrators in France and Germany.
The Department has conducted two internal studies in recent years into the provision of concentrators for domiciliary patients. Both of these showed that at the then current prescribing levels fewer than 1,000 of the domiciliary patients receiving oxygen therapy could have had their oxygen supplied more economically by concentrator instead of cylinders. We know of a number of other studies that have been carried out, some by NHS personnel, which have indicated that, for patients requiring oxygen for 15 hours or more per day for a prolonged period, a concentrator is the most economical supply method. The commissioned pilot study is the only study to have looked at the logistics and economics of providing concentrators on a large scale. The results, which were received in the Department on 18 January, will be made available to interested parties.