19 Nov 2021

The Covid Oximetry @ home service which St Helens has successfully rolled has won a prestigious healthcare award

The CovidOximetry @ home service is the winner of the Patient Safety Award at the Health Service Journal Awards 2021.

This service supports people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 to monitor their oxygen saturation levels at home.

Pulse oximeters are provided to patients as part of the NHS response to Covid-19. This service supports people at home who have been diagnosed with coronavirus and are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell.

Clinical Commissioning Groups across England were recommended to use the service for eligible patients, with St Helens CCG one of the first to get on board and roll out the service. 

One year on in St Helens we are now approaching 1000 patients to have benefited from the scheme which has undoubtedly saved lives and ICU admissions by identifying deterioration quickly and ensuring swift treatment.

Dr Greg Irving, St Helens GP and CCG Governing Body member who was the Clinical Lead for the rollout in St Helens said:

"This is a well deserved accolade and as part of the virtual team of hundreds involved in rolling out this service across England I can say that is a life saver for Covid patients.  

“With patients recording their readings from the pulse oximeter we can make sure we keep a close eye on these at risk patients and get them into hospital before their blood oxygen levels drop too much - giving them a far better chance of recovery as we now have proven treatments that can improve survival rates.

“Having Covid-19 can be scary and this service provides reassurance for at risk patients and their families that they are not alone and that doctors in the community are supporting them”.

Find out more at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-at-home/covid-oximetry-at-home/