ONE woman has died and thousands of people with breathing difficulties are at risk after the breakdown of a newly privatised system to provide oxygen supplies to patients at home, The Times has learnt.

Alice Broderick died while waiting for an emergency delivery of oxygen ordered by a doctor. The oxygen took almost nine hours to arrive from the private provider, which took over part of the NHS service two weeks ago. Previously oxygen deliveries were arranged by local pharmacists, working with GPs.

Hundreds of other patients, including premature babies, who are reliant on daily oxygen to treat their breathing difficulties, have also suffered agonising waits for supplies, The Times can reveal.

Two of the four companies that signed contracts with the Department of Health last year have suffered severe supply problems after being inundated with requests. The NHS estimates that 60,000 people require oxygen at home, for pulmonary, heart and cancer problems, although the total is believed to be much higher.

Last night patients still struggling to obtain oxygen were told that the problem could continue for as long as two months while the new system beds in. A spokeswoman for the NHS said that an inquiry was expected to start next week to identify the problem.

The crisis, which is affecting England and Wales, will heighten concerns about the Government’s increasing reliance on the private sector to carry out NHS work. The four multinational companies who supply oxygen, Air Products, Allied Oxycare/Medigas, Linde and BOC, are all experienced suppliers of gas. However, the first two admit that they have been overwhelmed and have been unable to deliver all emergency orders within the target of four hours.

The death of Mrs Broderick, 63, from Carlisle, has variously been blamed on processing problems and misunderstandings with health trusts and doctors. She began to experience breathing difficulties on Tuesday last week. Her husband, Jim, contacted an out-of-hours doctor service on Saturday. At 1.45pm the doctor requested an urgent oxygen delivery. The delivery was the responsibility of Air Products, an American multinational that has the contract for Wales and large areas of England.

By 7.30pm, when Mrs Broderick stopped breathing, the oxygen had not yet arrived. She was rushed to hospital by ambulance but died at 9.30pm. Mr Broderick returned home at 10.30pm to find that a delivery of oxygen had just been left.

Although Mrs Broderick lived only 200 yards from Cumberland Hospital in Carlisle, the oxygen had travelled from an Air Products depot 70 miles away. The company last night said that it had also ordered “a comprehensive investigation”. Since the new service was introduced 17 days ago, primary care trusts have been besieged with complaints that people have been unable to contact the private suppliers.

One patient arrived at a pharmacy blue in the face after running out of oxygen, while another had to stay in hospital after being told that a home delivery that should have arrived within hours would take six days.

A great-grandmother from Chorley, Lancashire, was rushed to hospital after she was unable to contact the Air Products helpline for emergency supplies.

An ex-miner from Kent who has heart problems and asthma said that his oxygen supplies were close to running out after his wife was unable to contact their new private supplier.

HOW TO FIND YOUR SUPPLIER

• For Wales, Avon, Birmingham, Black Country, Cheshire, Cumbria, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Leicestershire, London North, Merseyside, North Lincolnshire, Northants, Rutland Trent, Shropshire, Somerset, South West peninsula, Staffordshire, Wales, West Midlands South, Wiltshire, Yorkshire
  Air Products, 0800 37 35 80
  
• For Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, southeast London, southwest London, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley
  Allied Oxycare/Medigas, 0500 82 37 73
  
• For Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Suffolk
  BOC, 0800 13 66 03
  
• For Co Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley; Tyne & Wear
  Linde Gas, 0808 202 09 99
  
• If you have any other questions, call the BLF helpline on 08458 50 50 20, Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm

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