A ventilation system comprising: a main housing; a gas delivery system in the main housing; and a ventilation control system in the main housing that controls the gas delivery system and monitors one or more of a patient physiological parameter, operational parameters of the ventilation system and user-settable parameters, characterised in that the system further comprises: a primary display controller that generates a graphical user interface and that receives user inputs through the graphical user interface and delivers commands to the ventilation control system based on the inputs; a primary display housing removably attached to the main housing; a primary display in the primary display housing that presents the graphical user interface; and a system status display incorporated into the main housing that receives status data directly from the ventilation control system and displays the status data; wherein the ventilation control system is configured, in operation, to cause the system status display to display a first set of status data when the primary display housing is attached to the main housing and to display a second set of status data different from the first set of status data when the primary display housing is removed from the main housing; wherein the system status display is a secondary display that has a more limited functionality than the graphical user interface of the primary display. a main housing; a gas delivery system in the main housing; and a ventilation control system in the main housing that controls the gas delivery system and monitors one or more of a patient physiological parameter, operational parameters of the ventilation system and user-settable parameters, characterised in that the system further comprises: a primary display controller that generates a graphical user interface and that receives user inputs through the graphical user interface and delivers commands to the ventilation control system based on the inputs; a primary display housing removably attached to the main housing; a primary display in the primary display housing that presents the graphical user interface; and a system status display incorporated into the main housing that receives status data directly from the ventilation control system and displays the status data; a primary display controller that generates a graphical user interface and that receives user inputs through the graphical user interface and delivers commands to the ventilation control system based on the inputs; a primary display housing removably attached to the main housing; a primary display in the primary display housing that presents the graphical user interface; and a system status display incorporated into the main housing that receives status data directly from the ventilation control system and displays the status data; wherein the ventilation control system is configured, in operation, to cause the system status display to display a first set of status data when the primary display housing is attached to the main housing and to display a second set of status data different from the first set of status data when the primary display housing is removed from the main housing; wherein the system status display is a secondary display that has a more limited functionality than the graphical user interface of the primary display.