Spirometry is a common lung function test that measures how well your lungs work — specifically, how much air you can breathe in and out, and how quickly you can exhale. Appointments last approximately one hour and are used to diagnose airway diseases such as COPD or asthma. Please note, you may be asked to complete investigations before referral, such as a peak flow diary, full blood count, or chest X-ray.

GPPC provide Spirometry Services to practices in NEE. A spirometry test, as part of our contract, are performed to confirm or make a diagnosis. A new COPD and Asthma pathway has been implemented in line with NICE guidelines and practices are asked as part of this contract to ensure all patients meet the referral criteria. (See pathway criteria)

GPPC offer a hybrid approach, GPPC perform and interpret on a practice’s behalf, or practices complete this work in-house. We can support practices with either element of the process. Training and competency sign off and support is also offered.

We’re proud to introduce N-Tidal, a breakthrough CE-marked point-of-care diagnostic solution for COPD.

The N-Tidal medical device precisely measures respiratory physiology and uses advanced diagnostic AI algorithms to interpret the results automatically — providing fast, accurate COPD assessments right in our clinics.

Part of the Spirometry Pathway

N-Tidal has now been fully integrated into our spirometry pathway.

This means that all patients referred with suspected COPD will first be seen in an N-Tidal clinic. Appointments take just 10 minutes, compared to the usual hour-long spirometry sessions, allowing us to see more patients and reduce waiting times across the service. If, following the N-Tidal assessment, a patient still requires full spirometry, this will be arranged accordingly. This new approach is being used for all practices across North East Essex that refer patients into the spirometry service.

Benefits of N-Tidal

• Rapid, 10-minute assessments
• Automatic data interpretation and downloadable PDF reports
• No specialist interpretation required
• Faster diagnosis and improved patient access

N-Tidal will help us deliver quicker, more accurate COPD assessments and improve patient care across North East Essex.