The Islands Hyperbaric Chamber Opening Later This Year

The Charity behind the Island's Hyperbaric Medicine Facility is now registered with the Department of Health and Social Care as an Independent Medical Agency.

This major achievement is evidence that the Charity  meets the highest standards laid out in the  Department’s Care Standards, and in the near future the Charity will also be applying for registration with the British Hyperbaric Association to further demonstrate that it meets the highest industry standards.

There is still much to do before the chamber can open for treatments, particularly the recruitment and training of additional volunteers which will be disappointing news for the numerous patients contacting the Charity weekly who are suffering right now with significant health issues. However, these will be the final steps in the process and are necessary for a safe and effective delivery of the service. 

Setting up a brand new hyperbaric oxygen therapy centre is not simply a case of buying a chamber and switching it on as some people think. 

Debbie Barron, Manager of the Hyperbaric Medicine Facility said, “It has to be remembered that  hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that has to be prescribed by a doctor with the patient  breathing medical grade oxygen in a chamber pressurised to more than 2 bar ata. absolute atmosphere (greater than 10 meters or 33 feet of sea water ). Treatment at anything less than this pressure is not regarded as medical hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but as “oxygen therapy”, and is not approved as a treatment for any of the 14 internationally recognised health indications that benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy.”

The Charity has been for many months in negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Care seeking funding to provide both elective and emergency treatments for patients suffering from a number of health conditions and providing a 24/7/365 emergency service which will require a significant number of trained employees and volunteers along with the financial resources to engage these.

Although the first team of chamber operators/tenders and a dive medic technician have been trained and are now undergoing on-site training, the Charity is building a further two teams and still needs more volunteers.

The Charity would very much like to hear from anyone who has the time or is looking to make a difference in their community by volunteering. While no  specific  experience is required, the Charity would particularly like to hear from persons such as doctors, nurses, emergency services personnel,ex commercial divers and anyone with advanced life-saving skills who may be interested in becoming trained and involved in our work.

Once sufficient candidates have been identified they will undertake either specialist training to be hyperbaric doctors, chamber operators and/or dive medic technicians and once qualified they will also need to become familiar with our operations and undertake our site specific training.

Provided sufficient volunteers can be found the Charity expects to open for treatments in the first week of November.

“A hyperbaric chamber by the people for the people of the Isle of Man”