In the UK most people who need long-term oxygen get it free through the NHS, not from a shop. A GP or hospital team refers you for assessment. If oxygen is prescribed, a contracted supplier installs the equipment, services it and arranges payment for the electricity it uses. This guide follows that route step by step. It also covers where buying privately fits.
1. Assessment
The NHS says your doctor refers you to a specialist clinic if oxygen might help. The clinic checks your blood oxygen with a blood test and a finger or earlobe sensor (pulse oximetry). It may also do an exercise or walking test. Conditions where home oxygen can help include:
- COPD
- pulmonary fibrosis
- heart failure
- severe long-term asthma
- pulmonary hypertension
- cystic fibrosis
The NHS also warns that buying oxygen online and using it without a prescription can be dangerous. It can damage your brain, heart and lungs, or even kill you.
2. The order form (HOOF) and consent (HOCF)
Your clinician orders equipment on a Home Oxygen Order Form (HOOF). NHS guidance for Norfolk and Waveney describes two versions:
| Form | Who uses it | What it can order |
|---|---|---|
| HOOF A | Non-specialist clinicians, or a temporary order while you wait for assessment | A static concentrator and cylinders for use at home |
| HOOF B | Specialist home oxygen assessment and review teams (HOS-AR) and paediatric teams | Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), cylinders and ambulatory (portable) oxygen |
You also sign a Home Oxygen Consent Form (HOCF). Air Liquide’s guidance for prescribers says this consent lets your details go to the oxygen supplier and other parties, including the fire and rescue service and electricity distributors. Before ordering, the clinician also does a risk assessment covering smoking and e-cigarettes near the equipment.
3. Who supplies your region
| Region (NHS list) | Supplier |
|---|---|
| South West of England | Air Liquide |
| East of England, London, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, Wales | Baywater Healthcare |
| East Midlands, Northern Ireland | BOC |
| North East and South East of England | Vivisol |
| Scotland | Dolby Vivisol (Asthma + Lung UK) |
The regions come from the NHS home oxygen page, read 14 October 2026. Asthma + Lung UK lists a separate Air Liquide number for London, while the NHS page lists London under Baywater. If you live in London, check the supplier named on your paperwork.
4. What you get
The NHS describes three kinds of equipment:
- Oxygen concentrator. Recommended if you need oxygen for most of the day, including while asleep. It is about the size of a bedside table and plugs into the mains.
- Large cylinders. Usually for short periods, for example to relieve sudden breathlessness.
- Portable cylinders (ambulatory oxygen). Most weigh about 2–3 kg and hold up to 3 hours of oxygen. They are not suitable for everyone.
Standard installation takes about 3 working days, according to the Norfolk and Waveney guidance. Urgent orders can be delivered within 4 hours at a higher service cost.
Air Liquide lists these service commitments:
- equipment servicing every 3 to 6 months
- a 24-hour call centre
- next-working-day delivery of ambulatory cylinders and liquid oxygen base units
- oxygen delivered to holiday addresses within the UK
5. Electricity
A concentrator runs on your mains electricity. The Norfolk and Waveney guidance says the supplier is responsible for arranging payment of the electricity costs of the concentrator it supplies. Each supplier runs its own refund process, so ask yours how it works. Our home concentrator guide shows what a concentrator uses at the current price cap.
6. Safety at home
The NHS asks you to:
- tell your local fire service you have oxygen at home, so it can arrange a free fire safety check
- keep the equipment at least 3 metres from open flames such as a gas cooker or gas fire
- keep it at least 1.5 metres from other electrical appliances and heat sources such as radiators
- never smoke, or let anyone smoke near you, while using it
- avoid flammable liquids, aerosols and oil-based emollients such as Vaseline
Your consent form also lets your details be shared with the fire and rescue service, so a home fire safety visit can be arranged.
7. Holidays
- In the UK: ask your supplier to deliver oxygen to your destination, giving as much notice as possible.
- Abroad: speak to your clinic early. Your UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) can cover state-provided oxygen, but you must arrange it with the country’s authorised supplier before you go. See travelling abroad with home oxygen.
Where private buying fits
Some people buy a portable concentrator privately for extra freedom, such as flying or longer days out, on top of their NHS supply. If you do, agree the flow setting with your clinician. A pulse-dose portable is not a like-for-like swap for continuous-flow NHS equipment. Our portable oxygen concentrator guide lists UK prices and VAT relief.
The verdict
For long-term home oxygen in the UK, start with the NHS route through your GP or specialist. Oxygen is prescribed after assessment, installed, serviced and supported 24 hours a day, and the supplier arranges payment for the electricity. Buy privately only for needs the NHS supply doesn’t meet, and only at a prescribed setting.