Currently, diagnosis is done using a spirometry test which involves forced exhalation. It can take half an hour or more, and that's once you've managed to get an appointment.

Dr Simon Rudland told Sky News: "Spirometry is delivered out of a hub, so patients have to travel.

"We need to employ experts within those hubs that require specialist training. And the biggest issue is the wait."

The new rapid test is a handheld device called N-Tidal Diagnose and this will mean that patients can be tested in their doctor's surgery and will have results in as little as five minutes if their symptoms - which are breathlessness and a persistent cough - is caused by COPD or not.

Dr Rudland added: "It completely changes the whole pathway.

"With that diagnosis I can initiate treatment. I don't have to wait. They don't get put on the wrong drugs. It's revolutionary."

The sensor has been approved for use across the EU and is expected to start being used in doctors' surgeries in a matter of weeks.