Information for GP direct access referral patients undergoing Lung Function Tests at the North Cambridgeshire Hospital site in Wisbech

Community Diagnostic Centres have been introduced to reduce the current waiting lists following the Covid-19 pandemic and to make diagnostic imaging more accessible to everyone by situating these facilities in the community. This service is overseen by Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust.

What is a Lung Function Test?

Our lung function unit undertakes several physiological assessments to aid in the diagnosis of lung conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other lung diseases.

Prior to your appointment, please do not take any inhalers for 24 hours.

The reason we ask you to stop your inhalers is so we can measure your breathing at your worst. We can then give you inhaled medication to see if we can improve your breathing.

If you are unable to stop your inhaled medication, we will be unable to complete all the tests to reach a diagnosis.

If you are attending the CDC for a test, you can expect any of the following:

Spirometry

Spirometry involves a breathing technique in which you fill your lungs completely and then empty them as much as possible. You may be asked to do this at different speeds.

Firstly, we will ask you to breathe normally through a mouthpiece, then take in as deep a breath as you can. When we see that your lungs are full, we will then ask you to either blow the air out like a sigh or blast the air out as quickly as you can until your lungs are empty. Once they are empty, we will ask you to breathe back in as fast as possible until your lungs are full.

During the fast test, it is important that the initial blast is as sharp as possible. You will be required to repeat the test for accuracy purposes.

Reversibility with Salbutamol

You may also be asked to perform the spirometry test again 20 minutes after being given inhaled medication. The aim is to see whether the medication has had a beneficial impact on your lung function results.

If you have any concerns about doing this or stopping your inhaled medication, please get in touch with the department.

Please bring your inhaled medication so we can review, and if needed, you can take them after the test is complete.

Exhaled nitric oxide test

This test involves breathing into a tube on a small handheld device. First you will be asked to blow out into the room and then take a big breath in on the tube. Once your lungs are full, we will ask you to blow down the tube at a set speed for about 10 seconds. The device will measure the amount of inflammation in your airways using markers in your exhaled breath.

Single breath gas transfer

For this test, you will be asked to breathe normally through the mouthpiece, with your lips forming a tight seal and a peg on your nose. You will then be instructed to blow all the air out of your lungs until they are completely empty. Then you will be asked to take a deep breath in until your lungs are as full as possible and hold your breath for up to 10 seconds. Finally, you will blow out till empty, keeping your lips tight throughout.

After the test, your results will be reviewed by the Respiratory Healthcare Scientist and sent back to the referring clinician. You will also receive a copy of the letter in the post or on MyChart.

Transport/mobility

Hospital transport can only be provided if needed for medical reasons. Please contact your GP in the first instance to see if you are eligible.

If you are a Cambridgeshire or Peterborough resident and require transport, please phone the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust on 0345 603 8117 to arrange transport, or contact Cambridgeshire & Peterborough EMED Hospital Transport on 0300 777 555.

Please ensure that you have booked a Wait and Return journey – Hospital Transport will wait for you throughout the duration of your scan. If you have not booked this, you will need to wait for your transport to come and collect you.

When travelling via hospital transport, please ensure that you bring your medication or additional supplies with you as you may need to wait longer than expected.

What to do when you arrive

Please allow time to park your vehicle. There is limited parking on-site. Additional parking is available at the Horsefair Car Park located at PE13 1AR (2.2m height restriction). Parking at the Horsefair is free of charge for the first 3 hours and is approximately 5 -10 minutes’ walk from the hospital site.

Directions to the North Cambridgeshire Hospital site in Wisbech.

The full address is: 

Wisbech Community Diagnostic Centre,
North Cambridgeshire Hospital
Entrance 5,
The Park
Churchill Road
Wisbech
PE13 3AB

MyChart

We would encourage you to sign up for MyChart. This is the electronic patient portal at Cambridge University Hospitals that enables patients to securely access parts of their health record held within the hospital’s electronic patient record system (Epic). It is available via your home computer or mobile device

More information is available on our website: MyChart