1. Accreditation Process
   The accreditation process is described in terms of how to submit an application, fees for accreditation, the structure and functions of assessors and accreditation panels and process involved in site visits.(Appendix 2)
2. Categories of Respiratory Function Assessment Service
   The types of category and the level of service provided are listed in this section (See section below)
3. Granting Accreditation /Re-accreditation of an Accredited Service
   A detailed outline of the granting process is included in Appendix 3.
4. Confidentiality of Assessment Procedures
   The importance of confidentiality is outlined in this section.

2. Categories of Respiratory Function Assessment Service
All accreditation will be determined by the local respiratory organisation which has adopted the WOLFAP criteria for accreditation. The categories are designed to be inclusive and to promote the development of best practice and the highest possible standards in that centre. 

Service categories
Whilst it would be preferable to provide accreditation for ‘spirometry only’ to cover ”office spirometry” in primary care in the initial delivery of WOLFAP it may only be possible to limit accreditation to “lung function labs” alone.  The accreditation of spirometry services should be developed from WOLFAP in the long term.

Basic assessment of respiratory function including, as a minimum, measurement of static lung volumes (total lung capacity, residual volume, functional residual capacity and vital capacity); spirometry before and after bronchodilator (maximum expiratory flow volume curves); carbon monoxide gas transfer.

For the purposes of accreditation a “service” is defined as a test that is offered by trained and/or competent personnel to (exceptionally) at least 30 patients per year, but will mainly be delivered to at least 30 patients per month.

Level 1 Accreditation
This would be the basic level of accreditation which would require at least the first 7 of the10 essential indicators of accreditation to be achieved by that centre. (This enables centres where there are financial constraints on services to be given basic accreditation.  They would be acceptable to bid for clinical trials work in those basic tests)

3. Granting Accreditation
Granting of all accreditation will be by the local respiratory organisation which has adopted the WOLFAP criteria on accreditation.  In some cases this will be a national professional body, but predominantly it will be the responsibility of large respiratory bodies such as ARRC, ERS, APSR, etc.
For general guidance the recommended steps are considered in Appendix 3:

4. Confidentiality of Assessment Procedures
All the WOLFAP information and questionnaires will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties unless centres agree that it will be necessary for publication or clarification WOLFAP Accreditation categories, etc.

All accreditation processes run by local/national/international respiratory organisations should remain confidential at all times.  

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