Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of spirometry tests carried out in Community Diagnostic Centres.

NHS England continues to support the restoration of local spirometry services and is enhancing capacity through community diagnostic centres (CDCs).

Spirometry tests are a minimum core test required of all standard or large CDCs. The Department does not currently hold validated data on the number of spirometry tests carried out in CDCs but, as part of guidance issued by NHS England in September 2024, CDCs are expected to perform a minimum of 80 spirometry tests a week if open five days a week, and 112 tests if open for seven days a week. The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, also sets out that we will extend the minimum standards for all CDCs to open 12 hours per day, seven days a week. As CDCs move to seven days, in line with expectations set out in the plan, they will increase overall activity in line with guidance.