Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) testing.

The Department is committed to improving access to fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing.

FeNO testing is a recommended core test for any standard community diagnostic centre (CDC). Currently 112 CDC sites in England offer FeNO testing.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the British Thoracic Society and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network published a guideline on "Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management". This covers diagnosing, monitoring and managing asthma in adults, young people and children. The guideline includes a recommendation to use FeNO testing and is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng245/chapter/Recommendations

NHS England has been working jointly with the Health Innovation Networks to form a national respiratory partnership to improve asthma outcomes, including through implementation of this asthma guideline.

FeNO testing is also a key diagnostic for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Health systems across England are beginning to roll out new ways of diagnosing and supporting people with COPD this winter, thanks to £2.61 million of National Health Service investment. Nine local initiatives have received funding from the NHS England Pathway Transformation Fund to increase access to diagnostic tests such as spirometry and FeNO testing.

Access to FeNO testing in England is audited annually as part of the National Physiological Science Data Collections, with the next collection taking place in January 2026.