| Reference | FOI 2026/1773 |
|---|---|
| Description | Respiratory diagnostics and treatment |
| Date Requested | 19/05/2026 |
| Date Replied | 17/06/2026 |
| Category | Acute & Community Services Commissioning |
I am writing from Asthma+ Lung UK, the nation’s lung health charity, fighting for everyone with a lung condition. We believe that a better collective understanding of regional outcomes and approaches for respiratory conditions will improve patient care.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information:
For adults/ for children and young people/a combined role for adults, and children and young people
4a. Is spirometry commissioned in primary care to the extent that the entire geographical footprint of the ICS is covered? Please answer separately for adults and for children.
4b. If spirometry is commissioned to the extent that the entire geographical footprint of the ICS is covered, how is spirometry in primary care commissioned in the ICS:
Please answer separately for adults and for children.
4c. If spirometry is commissioned to the extent that the entire geographical footprint of the ICS is covered, is the volume of spirometry for diagnosis currently available:
Please answer separately for adults and for children.
Please answer separately for adults and for children.
6a. Is FeNO commissioned for primary care to the extent that the entire geographical footprint of the ICS is covered? Please answer separately for adults and for children.
6b. If FeNO is commissioned to the extent that the entire geographical footprint
of the ICS is covered, how is FeNO in primary care commissioned in the ICS:
Please answer separately for adults and for children.
6c. If FeNO is commissioned in primary care to the extent that the entire geographical footprint of the ICS is covered, is the volume of FeNO for diagnosis currently available:
Please answer separately for adults and for children.
6d. If FeNO is commissioned in primary care to the extent that the entire geographical footprint of the ICS is covered, is the volume of FeNO currently available for monitoring children in the ICS footprint:
Greater Manchester ICS has separately funded respiratory leads for children and Adults. These roles are not combined. The current respiratory leads are Dr Murugesan Raja and Dr Jenny Hoyle.
4a. Spirometry for CYP and adults is commissioned differently at various localities, and all the ICS footprint is not covered via primary care provision.
Information regarding secondary care provision of spirometry – including via CDCs – can be requested via contacting acute providers directly .
4b. Where Spirometry is commissioned from primary care, it is a combination of via a locally enhanced service or local change to the GP contract.
4c. The volume of spirometry for diagnosis currently available is not enough to meet the demand of referrals for both adults and children.
Section 12(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.
The Freedom of Information Act allows Public Authorities to decline to answer FOI requests when we estimate it would cost us more than £450 (equivalent to 18 hours, calculated at £25 per hour) to identify, locate, extract, and then provide the information that has been asked for. NHS GM does hold the raw data; however, it is estimated that it would take approx. 37.5 hours to gain governance approval from the GP Data Controllers and then development the report to provide the information requested On this basis, section 12(1) has been applied, because this would exceed the appropriate limit prescribed in the act.
