COVID Oximetry @home - digital and data services

COVID Oximetry @home involved the remote monitoring of patients with coronavirus symptoms. Patients used a pulse oximeter, a small monitor clipped to their finger, to measure their oxygen saturation levels three times a day.

They recorded their results using one of the following:

• smartphone app
• web portal
• paper diary

The paper-based option was available at all sites for patients who were uncomfortable with or unable to use a digital solution to record their readings.

Patients were supported by clinical staff locally, so that if they needed further treatment they could be admitted to hospital at the right time.

We know patients with serious coronavirus symptoms often do not go to hospital early enough, and this can negatively impact patient outcomes.

Some patient groups more likely to present late include:

• healthcare workers
• BAME patients

The COVID Oximetry @home programme is led by NHS England. NHS Digital’s primary role is to deliver Oximetry @home data and digital architecture, and to collect data for service utilisation.

Our role includes:

• sending to Oximetry @home providers a daily list of patients in their area who have tested positive for coronavirus, with indicators included for those who meet the recommended eligibility criteria for Oximetry @home (aged 65+ and/or considered higher risk and/or are symptomatic at the point of testing). We also flag those patients who have not received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, or the second dose was within the last 14 days
• collecting data from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) weekly about patients onboarded and offboarded
• disseminating data for evaluation and management information purposes
• creating new SNOMED codes so that providers can code Oximetry @home activity accurately
• updating NHS Pathways to enable COVID Oximetry @home patients to be identified and triaged effectively
• updating NHS systems to make other services aware that a patient is being monitored by COVID Oximetry @home – this may include changes like adding a flag to the summary care record
• standardising templates to be used in GP systems
• supporting the integration of COVID Oximetry @home apps with other NHS systems

We have also undertaken discovery and research into user needs, including patients, NHS staff and the NHS nationally.

Data collection

We're collecting a dataset from clinical commissioning groups, on a weekly basis, using the Secure Data Collection Service (SDCS). This will be in the form of a weekly Situation Report (SitRep) and will be used capture service utilisation. 

We're asking for the least amount of data possible, to keep admin time for frontline staff to a minimum.

The collection includes information on:

• number of patients onboarded to COVID Oximetry @home within the last submission period
• total number of patients *(at the point of data submission) who are on the COVID Oximetry at home caseload

The information will be used to manage and evaluate the service.

*More information can be found in the SitRep webpage.

If you are part of a local team at a CCG, a provider or a supplier establishing a COVID Oximetry @home pathway, and have questions for NHS Digital on any of the elements of the programme listed above that relate to our role, email [email protected].