Large variation in provision of NHS asthma testing in children

Posed by model. Credit: Getty/monkeybusinessimages

By Emma Wilkinson

More than half of integrated care boards in England are failing to meet national guidance on asthma tests in children, a charity has warned.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) as a first line test for asthma in children over the age of five years.

But a freedom of information request suggested that 59% of integrated care boards (ICBs) did not commission enough capacity to meet local need.

Asthma + Lung UK said variation in access to diagnostic tests for asthma in England was particularly concerning given that asthma admissions for children in the most deprived areas are almost twice as high as the least deprived areas.

Of 37 ICBs who responded to questions around commissioning of asthma testing for children, 22 said that FeNO was not available in primary care across the whole region.

Only seven were confident they had the capacity to manage both new diagnostic referrals and existing testing backlogs.