Wolverhampton North Network is proud to offer appointments to our patients at the Respiratory Hub. With a specialist multidisciplinary team present at every clinic, the Respiratory Hub provides a single appointment for testing and diagnosing lung conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in an accessible primary care setting.
Our clinics take place at:
Keats Grove Surgery
17 Keats Grove
Wolverhampton
WV10 8LY
If you have a Respiratory Hub appointment booked, please read and follow all information from the below sections prior to your appointment to ensure tests can be performed.
- Preparing for your appointment
- Your appointment
- After your appointment
Preparing for your appointment
Any inhalers that you currently take can alter the results of the tests carried out on the day. To ensure the most accuracy, we ask you to not use your inhaler prior to your appointment. For different inhalers, different timings are in place:
- Do not use blue salbutamol/salamol inhalers within 4 hours of your appointment
- Do not use flutiform/seretide/symbicort/fostair inhalers within 12 hours of your appointment
- Do not use spiriva/trimbow/trelegy/trixeo inhalers within 36 hours of your appointment
Although we ask you to not use your inhalers, please ensure to bring them with you to your appointment.
To ensure maximum comfort during the appointment and accuracy of the tests, it is also important to follow these instructions:
- Please wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing
- Do not have a large meal within 2 hours of the appointment
- Do not smoke or have any alcohol on the day of your appointment
- Do not exercise within 1 hour of the appointment
Please contact your GP surgery to cancel your upcoming Respiratory Hub appointment if you have been prescribed antibiotics or had any of the following conditions recently, as we will be unable to complete the tests safely:
- Unstable angina
- Collapsed lung
- Heart attack/stroke
- Operations, e.g. hernia, eye, chest or abdominal surgery
- Ear infections/eye perforations
- Pregnancy
- Any acute illness (vomiting/diarrhoea)
- Chest infections
- Aneurysm
Your appointment
Please aim to arrive at Keats Grove Surgery 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time, and report to reception upon arrival. Your appointment may last between 60 to 90 minutes in total due to seeing multiple healthcare professionals.
For non-smokers, the first test you will be asked to complete is a fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) test. This measures inflammation in your airways, and is useful to help diagnose asthma and build a better understanding of what type of asthma you have.
It is a simple and easy test to perform - you will take a big breath in and then gently breathe out through the filtered mouthpiece into a small portable device for approximately 10 seconds. The device shows the reading on it's screen. This test is not performed on current smokers as it may not provide accurate results.
Following this, you will have your height and weight measured. These recordings are required to complete the next step of your appointment, the spirometry test.
Spirometry can help diagnose various lung conditions, including COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis.
To complete the test, you will be seated and asked to:
- inhale fully, so your lungs are completely filled with air
- close your lips tightly around the mouthpiece
- exhale as quickly and as forcefully as you can, making sure your lungs are completely empty
Practise attempts will take place before the actual test, which will need to be repeated at least 3 times to ensure an accurate result.
Depending on your result, you may be asked to repeat the spirometry around 15 minutes after taking some inhaled bronchodilator medicine. This is to test if you have a lung condition which responds to these medicines.
You will then speak with a senior clinician, who will discuss your FeNO and spirometry results and confirm any diagnosis after taking a history of your symptoms.
If necessary based on the diagnosis, you will also speak to the pharmacist, who will discuss your inhaler prescription and technique with you.
On completion of your appointment, you will be provided with a health action plan.
After your appointment
Once your appointment is completed, you will be able to leave the Respiratory Hub knowing your test results, any diagnoses, and a prescription for your inhalers (if required). You will be able to return to your normal activities immediately.
You may experience side effects for a short period following your appointment, including dizziness, shakes, tiredness and sickness. If you are concerned with your side effects or they continue to get worse, please contact your GP surgery.
Please note: this is a referral only service for patients registered at a practice within Wolverhampton North Network. If you have any respiratory symptoms, please contact your own GP surgery.