Dear Practitioner,
The Department of Health has updated the Victorian Aids & Equipment Program (VA&EP) Guidelines regarding eligibility for consumers accessing the domiciliary oxygen program.
While the existing exclusion remains unchanged - whereby oxygen supply is terminated if a consumer is found to be smoking - the updated guidelines now extend this exclusion to include vaping.
This change reflects the serious safety risks associated with smoking or vaping while using oxygen, including fire and explosion hazards, and recognises that such practices diminish the intended clinical benefits of oxygen therapy.
Effective 1st September 2025, the program will adopt the following revised policy:
'Domiciliary oxygen will not be supplied to anyone who is known to smoke or vape"
If a consumer is identified as smoking or vaping:
- The consumer and their practitioner will be notified.
- Oxygen supply will be immediately ceased.
- The supplier will be instructed to remove the equipment, regardless of the severity of the consumer's medical condition.
The consumer will be referred to their physician to discuss cessation options and further information to support the consumer can be found on the Department of Health's Better Health Channel for advice and resources e.g. Quitline.
Funding and oxygen supply will recommence once the consumer can demonstrate complete abstinence from smoking and/or vaping for a minimum of four weeks and are reassessed by their physician as meeting the eligibility requirements.
If you have any queries or feedback, please contact us at swep@gh.org.au.
Kind regards,
SWEP Management
