Air Liquide Paediatric User manual

Paediatric
Home Oxygen
User Guide

2
Customer Service Team Helpline 0808 143 9991
Contents
Page
Quick Reference Guide 3
Calling the Customer Service Team
Online Portal
Outside of Normal Working Hours
Troubleshooting
Change of Details
Insurance
Our Service 4-5
Before You Start
Going Home
Keeping You Safe
Keeping Your Information Safe
Stay in Touch
Follow Up Call
An Introduction to Home
Oxygen 6
Why Does My Child Need Oxygen?
Using Home Oxygen
Home Oxygen Safety 7-15
The Fire Triangle
Fire Risk
Electronic Cigarettes and Other Personal
Electronic Devices
Oxygen Saturation (Enrichment)
Home Safety Visit
Smoking - The Risks
Storage and Usage
How do I check if oxygen is coming out?
Oxygen Tubing, Masks, and Nasal Cannulae
Oils and Grease
Baby Massage Therapy
Hand Sanitiser
Dynamic Air Flow Pressure Relieving
Mattresses
Beware of Tripping Over Your Oxygen Tube
Play and Activity
Slips, Trips and Falls
Going Out and About
Nursery and School
Swimming
Bathing a Baby
Going on Holiday - UK 16-17
Going Away in the UK
Taking the Same Equipment on Holiday?
Taking Dierent or More Equipment on
Holiday?
Conrming Your Holiday
Travelling to and from Your Destination
Going on Holiday - Abroad 18
Travelling Abroad
Planning on travelling by plane or boat?
How to Contact us with a
Concern or Compliment 19
How to Tell us if You Have a Concern
How to Pay a Compliment
Useful Contacts 20
Patient Declaration 21
Page

3Paediatric Home Oxygen User Guide
Quick Reference
Guide
Standard Deliveries, Enquiries or Requests.
Call our Customer Service Team
8:30am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday
Freephone (landline): 0808 143 9991
Freephone (mobile): 0330 123 5469*
Online Portal
Air Liquide has developed an online portal to
enable you to request replenishments, provide
concentrator meter readings, and share any
feedback/comments, without having to call in.
To register to use the portal go to
www.airliquidehomehealth.co.uk and follow
the instructions.
Outside of Normal Working
Hours
Outside of normal working hours our customer
service team should only be called in the
event of an emergency. For example, if your
equipment does not work or you have a
concentrator and there is a power cut.
Troubleshooting
If you are experiencing problems with your
equipment and cannot resolve it with this
guide, or your equipment guide, call our
customer service team.
Change of Details
To ensure your oxygen supply remains
uninterrupted, it is very important that we have
accurate and up to date information about you.
Please contact our customer services team or
access the portal to let us know if you change
any of your details, including:
lHome address
lTelephone number
Insurance
We recommend you inform your home
insurance provider that your child is using
oxygen equipment in your home. If your child
uses or carries home oxygen equipment when
travelling by car we recommend you inform
your motor insurance company. This should
not aect your insurance premium.
* Free to people who have a monthly minute bundle as
the call will be deducted from the inclusive minutes.

Our Service
Air Liquide Healthcare is a provider of home oxygen and
other healthcare services. We are committed to providing a
safe and effective home oxygen service for your child and
we want to provide you with all the support you may need
right from the very start.
4
Customer Service Team Helpline 0808 143 9991
Before You Start
Air Liquide appreciates that this can be an
anxious and uncertain time for you and your
family and as you may be unfamiliar with the
Home Oxygen Service, we have developed
this brochure to help answer some of your
questions.
Before you use any of your oxygen equipment
there are some simple and important safety
rules that you must follow. These will be
explained to you by your technician during
training. If you are unsure, please ask your
technician, call our customer service team,
or speak to your healthcare professional. We
have developed equipment tutorial videos
which are available for you to view on our
website. Please visit our website
www.airliquidehealthcare.co.uk for access
to these videos and other information.
Going Home
Your child’s healthcare professional will
order oxygen equipment when your child is
ready to go home. Prior to discharge, use the
opportunity to ask any questions you may
have about caring for your child.
This guide will help you through some simple
and important rules that you must follow as
well as some useful advice specically for
babies, young children and adolescents.
Please speak to your healthcare technician or
our customer services team should you have
any further questions.
Keeping You Safe
The technician who installed your child’s
equipment will also have carried out a risk
assessment. This risk assessment and the
servicing of any equipment will be completed
3 months after installation and then every 6
months, to keep equipment in good working
order and to ensure it continues to deliver
oxygen safely.
It is important that we are able to access your
property and equipment to complete this.
Failure to allow access may result in your
equipment being removed. The equipment
supplied remains the property of Air Liquide.
All equipment must be returned when no
longer required.

Our Service (cont.)
Our trained team is available to answer any questions you may have, to ensure you feel
completely at ease with the home oxygen equipment and service.
Keeping Your Information Safe
We understand how important it is to keep
your child’s personal data safe.
Your child’s information will be held securely
within our database which operates in line
with the current UK legislation and Information
Security standards. You will already have given
consent to your child’s healthcare professional
for them to share your child’s information
with us when you signed the Home Oxygen
Consent Form.
We are committed to sharing the minimum
amount of information necessary to ensure
your child’s continued safety. We will only
share your child’s information with healthcare
professionals involved in their care or the
administration of their care and with agencies
such as your local re and rescue service and
electricity distributor. We share your child’s
details with the electricity company who in
turn may contact you to discuss the benets of
being on their Priority Services Register. This
service is entirely optional and the electricity
company will provide the full details.
It is important that you keep us up to date with
any changes to your child’s data to ensure we
are able to uphold a safe and ecient service
for them.
You have a number of rights under data
protection law. You can nd more information
regarding these and other rights by checking
the Information Commissioner’s Oce
website at www.ico.org.uk or by referring to
the Air Liquide Healthcare privacy notice for
home oxygen patients, found on our website
www.airliquidehealthcare.co.uk
If however you would like to exercise any of
these rights or provide feedback regarding
how your child’s data has been used, you may
do so by contacting our data protection ocer
directly on: ALHomec[email protected]
Stay in Touch
We will contact you every 6 months to arrange
a risk assessment and/or concentrator
service, or to update you with any changes
to the service. We can do this by email where
appropriate, however there may be occasions
when we need to contact you by phone.
Please contact our customer service team to
update us with your preferred contact details.
Follow Up Call
Within two weeks of receiving your home
oxygen equipment, our customer service team
will contact you. We want to make sure you are
completely satised with your home oxygen
equipment and with the training and support
given to you at the time of installation.
5Paediatric Home Oxygen User Guide

If your child feels unwell and they require urgent medical attention, you must phone
the emergency services on 999. We are able to respond to power failures and some
equipment faults within 4 hours, but we are not an emergency service.
An Introduction to
Home Oxygen
Why Does My Child Need
Oxygen?
Everyone needs oxygen. Without it, we could
not survive, as our cells use oxygen and
nutrition from the foods we eat to make the
energy needed to function. The air that we
breathe contains approximately 21% oxygen.
Children with healthy lungs get all the oxygen
they need through normal breathing. Children
with lung and some other diseases may have
lower levels of oxygen in their blood, and it is
these children who may need extra oxygen.
Without sucient oxygen, most children nd
they are limited in what they can do. Oxygen
therapy can correct the low levels of oxygen
and give children who need it a better quality
of life.
Oxygen is not addictive but too much can be
harmful and too little may not be benecial.
Oxygen can only be prescribed by a
healthcare professional.
Using Home Oxygen
Your healthcare professional will have
completed a Home Oxygen Order Form
(HOOF) requesting your child’s oxygen
equipment. As part of your assessment they
will have determined how much oxygen your
child needs (litres per minute) and for how
long (hours per day). Oxygen is a prescribed
medicine; using more than prescribed can
make certain people unwell, and using less
than prescribed may be of no benet.
It is important that you:
lALWAYS follow the advice of your
healthcare professional
lALWAYS follow the important safety advice
lNEVER adjust the amount of oxygen
your child uses unless it is under the strict
instruction of your healthcare professional
lIf your child has been prescribed a variable
oxygen ow rate, your child’s healthcare
professional will have informed you when to
alter the ow
lIf your child feels unwell seek medical
attention
lNEVER use more or less oxygen than
prescribed by your healthcare professional
6
Customer Service Team Helpline 0808 143 9991

Home Oxygen Safety
The Fire Triangle
To start a re, three things are needed:
lFuel – something to burn
lHeat or a spark – something to set it alight
lOxygen – to support the re and keep it
going
Fire Risk
Oxygen is essential to sustain life, but has
several unique properties which expose you,
and those around you, to higher risk:
l It supports combustion - res thrive in
oxygen
lWe can’t see, smell or taste oxygen
lOxygen settles easily into the tiny spaces in
fabrics and hair
The air we breathe is made up of 21% oxygen
but the medical oxygen you use at home is
much higher, up to 90-100%, depending on
the equipment type. As materials that burn in
air will burn hotter and faster in oxygen, this
means that you need to take extra care around
any naked ames and other sources of ignition.
Home oxygen is safe to use when the safety
guidance is followed, however as materials
burn much faster and hotter in oxygen than in
air alone, it is therefore important that you:
lNEVER smoke or let anyone else smoke
near your child when they are using
their oxygen equipment, this includes
e-cigarettes
lNEVER charge an e-cigarette close to
your child when they are using their oxygen
equipment or near the equipment itself
lNEVER use or store oxygenequipment
within 3 metres (10 feet) of openres or
naked ames such as cigarettes,
e-cigarettes, matches,lighters,boilers,
gas cookers,opengas res, candles,or
machinery which could create sparks
lNEVER use or store oxygen equipment
within 1.5 metres (5 feet) of heatsources
(e.g. a radiator) and electrical appliances
such as, televisions,hair dryers, and toasters
lNEVER smoke when you are using an
aerosol e.g hairspray, or just afterwards
lREMEMBER birthday candles are a naked
ame. Take extra care if your child is using
oxygen equipment. Turn o the oxygen
and remove the cannulae or mask at least
15 minutes before your child blows out the
birthday candles
In the event of a re, leave the building immediately and ring 999. You should advise the
emergency operator that there is oxygen on the premises.
7Paediatric Home Oxygen User Guide
HEAT
OXYGEN FUEL

Home Oxygen Safety (cont.)
Electronic Cigarettes and Other
Personal Electronic Devices
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery
powered tobacco replacement products
which use a heating element (atomiser) to
produce a vapour which resembles smoke.
A number of incidents have been reported
across the UK involving e-cigarettes that
have exploded or ignited to cause a re
while recharging or in use in an oxygen rich
environment. It is recommended to only buy
e-cigarettes and chargers from new and from
reputable sellers that feature safety markings.
Other personal electronic devices that require
charging of their lithium ion batteries include
mobile phones, laptops, tablets, cameras,
e-bike batteries etc. All these devices must be
charged away from the area where oxygen
is used and stored. All personal rechargeable
electronic equipment should be visually
inspected prior to use and found to be free
from defects, cracks, damaged cables, burn
marks.
NEVER use e-cigarettes while using oxygen.
ALWAYS charge your personal electronic
devices away from the area where oxygen is
used and stored and NEVER in an oxygen-rich
environment.
Oxygen Saturation
(Enrichment)
Oxygen itself does not burn, but it does help
a re to start and to keep burning. If air is
enriched with increased levels of oxygen, there
is a chance that a re will start and spread
more quickly, and continue to burn hotter and
faster.
Because oxygen can build up unnoticed and
saturate our surroundings, home oxygen users
are at greater risk from their clothing, bedding,
furniture and hair catching re if they smoke,
or if other people smoke in close proximity
to them. In oxygen-rich areas, fabrics, wood,
paper and other materials which normally
do not burn easily in air could suddenly catch
re on contact with a small spark from a lit
cigarette or electronic cigarette.
Because of this, you should:
lALWAYS turn o your oxygen equipment
when your child is not using it
lALWAYS use or store your oxygen
equipment in a well ventilated area
lNEVER place your oxygen equipment near
curtains or cover it with coats, blankets
or other materials that may restrict the air
circulation around it
lNEVER leave the cannula or mask on the
bed or chair when your oxygen equipment is
switched on
lVentilate any clothing or bedding, where it
is suspected that it has become saturated
with oxygen, to ensure that any oxygen
enrichment is cleared. It can take at least 15
minutes to adequately ventilate clothing or
30 minutes to ventilate bedding before it is
safe to approach with a source of ignition
Home Safety Visit
As your child is an oxygen user you may
receive a home safety visit from your local
Fire and Rescue Service. They can help you
manage any risks and plan how to evacuate
the building in the event of a re. The Fire and
Rescue Service will oer safety advice at your
premises and where appropriate they may
install/deliver suitable equipment for safety.
If you are contacted by them it is important you
allow them to visit your home. Your clinician
may consider removing the oxygen equipment
if you fail to cooperate with the Fire and
Rescue Service.
8
Customer Service Team Helpline 0808 143 9991

Home Oxygen Safety (cont.)
Smoking - The Risks
Smoking increases the risk of developing
serious health conditions. Every year around
78,000 people in the UK die from smoking,
with many more living with debilitating
smoking-related illnesses.
Oxygen therapy is a life-enhancing therapy
and for many diseases and conditions it
reduces the risk of complications when your
oxygen blood levels are reduced. If oxygen
is used in the vicinity of someone smoking, it
poses serious safety risks.
Smoking can worsen or prolong the
symptoms of respiratory conditions and
the benecial eect of oxygen therapy
may be oset by the harmful eects of this.
Furthermore, friends and family who breathe in
second-hand smoke regularly are more likely
to get the same diseases as smokers including
lung cancer and heart disease.
Passive smoking is harmful to others,
particularly children. Stopping smoking is
a really eective way to benet your child’s
health. In order to avoid these risks and to
ensure your child continues to receive the
benecial eects of oxygen therapy, you may
like to maintain your home as a smoke-free
environment.
The most serious incidents involving
the use of home oxygen are caused by
smoking which is why you should NEVER
smoke or let anyone else smoke near your
child when they are using their oxygen
equipment.
Remember
NEVER smoke a cigarette or use an electronic
cigarette close to your child when they are
using the oxygen.
NEVER charge an electronic cigarette or
similar device close to your child using oxygen
therapy or near to the oxygen source itself.
Ready to Quit
It is never too late to give up, no matter how
long you have smoked. Your quality of life will
improve and you will reduce the risk of a fatal
re by stopping smoking, especially now you
are using home oxygen. 2 out of every 3 res
in homes where home oxygen is used are the
result of the oxygen user smoking.
Getting support from friends, family and
professionals is very important and research
shows that people who get support from stop
smoking services are four times more likely to
succeed compared to those who don’t.
When you stop, you give your lungs the chance
to repair and you’ll be able to breathe easier.
There are lots of other benets too, and they
start almost immediately. Not only does it
improve your physical health but it also boosts
your mental health and wellbeing.
Support and Advice
Free NHS smoking cessation helpline:
0800 022 4332. Lines are open Monday-
Friday from 9am to 8pm; Saturday & Sunday
from 11am to 5pm. Or visit their website
www.smokefree.nhs.uk to download Smoke
Free app.
Alternatively, for advice and support regarding
smoking cessation, talk to your GP or nurse.
9Paediatric Home Oxygen User Guide

Home Oxygen Safety (cont.)
Storage and Usage
You should always follow the advice given
to you by your technician about the safest
place to store and use your child’s oxygen
equipment.
It is important that you:
lALWAYS keep cylinders laid at or secured
upright in a position to prevent them
falling over, especially when children are
around. Keep the equipment away from
small children to avoid risks of inadvertent
tampering
lALWAYS ensure your oxygen equipment is
stored in a well ventilated area, kept clean,
dry and away from any sources of heat or
re e.g. paran or convection heaters, gas or
electric res and cookers
lNEVER store your oxygen equipment close
to paint, oil-based products, grease or any
domestic heating gases e.g. in a garage or
shed where these items may be stored
lNEVER keep combustible materials near
your oxygen equipment e.g. newspapers
and magazines and other items that may
burn easily
lNEVER modify or tamper with your
oxygen tubing by adding to it, or changing
components
lNEVER remove or tamper with the
rebreaks in the tubing. A re break is a
safety device tted between a cannula or
mask and the tubing attached to the oxygen
equipment
Your oxygen equipment should be stored in
line with your technician’s instructions and
should never be left exposed to the weather.
This information applies to all places where
oxygen equipment is used or stored, and when
travelling with it.
How do I check if oxygen is
coming out?
If your child uses a very low ow rate, you might
nd it dicult to determine whether oxygen
is owing. If at any time you are concerned
that the cylinder is not delivering any oxygen,
specically with low ow rates:
1. Check that the tubing has not become
trapped or kinked obstructing the ow
2. Place only the tips of the cannulae into a
saucer of water to ensure the water bubbles
3. Once you have established oxygen ow,
wipe and dry the tips of the cannulae before
placing into the child’s nostrils
NEVER completely immerse the end of the
cannula in the water.
Oxygen Tubing, Masks, and
Nasal Cannulae
Oxygen Tubing
As part of our technician’s risk assessment,
they will speak with you about locating your
oxygen equipment in the most ideal location,
that is both safe and easily accessible. They
will measure and cut your oxygen tubing at
a length that allows your child to reach the
required areas of your home. The maximum
permitted tubing length is 15 metres (inclusive
of the nasal cannulae or mask tubing), but it
should always be kept as short as possible to
reduce the risk of tripping and falls.
It is important that you only use tubing that has
been supplied and installed by Air Liquide as
these have been tested for compatibility with
our equipment. Please do not cut it yourself
or add other tubing as doing so may aect the
oxygen ow rate.
10
Customer Service Team Helpline 0808 143 9991