Croydon NHS are giving remote oxygen monitors to certain people who test positive for Covid-19 in the borough to help patients and better manage the immense strain of coronavirus.

The NHS group, a part of the South West London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said remote oxygen monitors are being given to all those Covid-positive patients who signed up for the scheme and who were at particular risk of developing serious coronavirus symptoms.

The initiative is designed to help Covid-positive patients who do not require immediate treatment at hospital but who are still at more serious risk from the virus.

A spokesperson for SW London CCG described the plan to help NHS workers in the borough better look after people with coronavirus in further detail.

"Patients who join the service will be provided with a pulse oximeter (a finger pulse device that can measure heart rate and oxygen levels in the blood) to use at home to monitor their oxygen saturation levels," they said.

"They will also be recruited into a virtual ward where a clinical team will remotely monitor symptoms for a period of 14 days.

"If low oxygen levels are detected early on, the clinical team can support patients early before symptoms get worse.

"Advanced nurse practitioners can then treat patients earlier so that their condition improves to make their recovery better and help to prevent patients from needing to go into hospital," they added.

Dr Hason Alogaily, Croydon GP Collaborative’s Medical Director described how important the service can be for someone who develops Covid-19: "We’re excited to be bringing this service to Croydon residents.

"Close monitoring remotely allows us to diagnose and treat Covid19 patients much earlier, which can make a significant difference to the patient’s experience and outcomes."

Everyone over 65 or under that age but at a high risk of developing serious coronavirus symptoms can apply to the scheme, which has already seen 192 patients in Croydon sign up.

Patients who sign up get daily calls from the NHS in Croydon for the team to monitor and review symptoms and oxygen saturation levels.

Dr Agnelo Fernandes, Chairman of Croydon NHS said:

"This is a real step forward for both patients and healthcare teams, locally.

"Our patients are grateful to be at home whilst they recover, and the new digital tools allow our staff to monitor multiple patients efficiently and effectively at the same time."

The service is delivered through a local health care team of advanced nurse practitioners and provided by the Croydon GP Collaborative for people who are registered with a GP in the borough of Croydon.