Under pressure
The diving industry is backing calls to reinstate the hyperbaric chamber at Dunstaffnage, as Sandy Neil reports.
More than 25,000 people have backed an online petition calling for the reinstatement of a hyperbaric chamber on Scotland’s west coast.
This medical facility, which allows the patient to breathe in oxygen at high pressure, is a key treatment for divers suffering from decompression sickness – sometimes known as “the bends”.
In January 2024, NHS Grampian suspended the chamber’s life-saving services near Oban with immediate effect. Then, in April, it withdrew future funding. The clinical support that was available had included five doctors trained in diving and hyperbaric medicine who were on call 24/7.
As soon as news broke of NHS funding being pulled from the clinical support for sick divers at the Dunstaffnage facility, letters and messages of support flooded in, according to Dr Martin Sayer, Chief Executive of Tritonia, the subsea technology company that runs the chamber.
Dr Martin Sayer
As the only NHS registered facility of its kind on Scotland’s west coast, the chamber is relied upon by commercial divers servicing more than 100 local businesses with a 20-mile radius of Oban, from aquaculture, fisheries and ferries, to shipping, military, police and tourism.
Under the Diving at Work Regulations, each is subject to an Approved Code of Good Practice requirement that the nearest recompression chamber should, under no circumstances, “…be more than six hours travelling distance from the dive site.”
The ongoing suspension of the chamber, however, and decision to withdraw funding, means that any diver experiencing difficulties will be transferred to the next nearest facility in Aberdeen – but not without serious risk to life, argues Dr Sayer.
He says: “As with any emergency, time is of the essence. Even a minor delay to the right treatment can have a major impact on recovery and, in serious cases, survival.
“To suspend such a critical service without notice or explanation is nothing short of reckless, demonstrating a complete lack of understanding as to the necessity of swift, specialist medical attention.”
He adds: “It’s not just the lives of commercial divers that have been put at risk by the decision but recreational divers too.”
The petition, launched on April 3, appeals: “Since 1972, the recompression chamber at Dunstaffnage, near Oban, has treated over 400 divers for decompression illness… and is the only NHS registered chamber on the entire west coast of Scotland.
“As of April 1st 2024, NHS Grampian have withdrawn funding and support of this vital infrastructure. This facility provides vital support for all diving operations on the west coast of Scotland and the islands.
“Billions of pounds worth of industry rely on divers and diving, including aquaculture, fisheries, ferries, shipping, military, police, and tourism. Over 100 businesses within a 20 mile radius nominate the Oban chamber as their standby for diving operations. The chamber provides 4 full time jobs, over 20 part time roles, and supports 5 local GPs, all highly trained in diving medicine. Increased time to treatment could have health implications and would add additional burden for local ambulances.”
The Change.org petition attracted 1,300 signatures in just 24 hours of it being launched. By June 27, it had reached over 26,000 signatures.
Hyperbaric chamber, Dunstaffnage
Reaction from the diving sector
Oban-based commercial diver Richard Ross says losing the chamber would present a danger to life. “It comes down to time,” he adds. “The risk factor massively increases the longer a diver with decompression illness is not treated. The sooner they get treated, the better. It could mean the difference between being able to walk or being in a wheelchair if it attacks the nervous system. Worst case scenario, it could end in death.
“Aberdeen is about four hours away by road and there could be incidents along the way that could lead to a longer delay. You could be one or two hours away from land even before getting a diver to the shore.
“There’s a massive range of complications to consider if the nearest chamber is in Aberdeen. It could also make a job is unviable due to safety concerns. It’s a worry.”
Although Ross has not needed the help of the hyperbaric chamber himself, he knows people who have. One of his diver friends had to be in and out three times for a few hours each session.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened if he’d not been able to get to Dunstaffnage,” Ross says.
“Recreational divers would be in danger too. I hear what comes over the VHF radio on the boat. There’s a lot of wrecks here that people want to explore, so they go deeper. They don’t always have the experience,” adds Ross, who also flags up another safety concern.
According to Health & Safety Executive regulations, a dive boat must carry enough oxygen to get a diver in need to the nearest chamber. Ross says: “That poses another risk, as it’s a dangerous gas. Just think how much more would need to be carried if the nearest chamber was in Aberdeen.”
Mike Morgan from Puffin Dive Centre at Gallanach, Oban says the NHS had “not fully grasped” the importance of Oban having the extremely useful and valuable resource.
“The sea around the town is used commercially and extensively by owners and operators of small businesses and companies. It is home to many of them, who take comfort in knowing the hyperbaric chamber is on their doorstep, as well as there for the huge numbers of divers who want to visit some of the best waters in the UK,” he adds.
Although the Puffin Dive Centre has its own recompression chamber, it is used mainly for training commercial divers.
The protocol is for injured or ill divers to be given oxygen first, taken to a safe haven and then transported to the nearest NHS emergency rooms to be checked by a specialist dive doctor who will make the correct diagnosis for onward treatment – including if they need hyperbaric chamber treatment.
Morgan adds: “Nine out of 10 times if that’s what’s needed from Oban, they would go to Dunstaffnage. The proximity of the chamber to the patient is important. It’s the same as having an A&E department close by. If that help is further away, it doesn’t necessarily make the situation worse but it does not guarantee it getting better. I’m extremely concerned. The loss of it is not easy to bear.”
Tritonia diver
In an open letter of support the founder and director of Vectis Expeditions, Andrew Hunt, wrote: “Not having a chamber there makes logistics significantly harder and is causing me to have to think twice about whether I should base some of my expeditions out of Oban or shift location.
“The Sound of Mull is one of the most popular locations for scuba diving in Scotland, second only to Scapa Flow in Orkney. Orkney has a recompression facility. The Sound of Mull doesn’t at present. I cannot therefore see the logic of closing the recompression facility.”
A spokesperson for NHS Grampian says: “We have carried out a site visit at the facility in Oban and we are now compiling the results of that visit. They will be shared with the team there when ready. In the meantime, the national hyperbaric service continues to operate from a Category 2 chamber in Orkney and the main Category 1 chamber in Aberdeen.”
Dr Sayer says the need for resolution of the matter is pressing: “We need to be told the reasons for the suspension, we need to be told what changes are required to lift that suspension and we need NHS Grampian to re-think its decision. With lives at risk, and with no response from the health board itself, we’re now calling for the matter to be escalated to a parliamentary debate.”
What is a hyperbaric chamber?
A hyperbaric chamber is a sealed chamber where the air pressure is increased to higher than normal atmospheric pressure. It is used in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for medical treatments.
The primary purpose is to allow patients to breathe pure oxygen at high pressure. This increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood and enhances oxygen delivery to tissues throughout the body.
As well as decompression sickness, hyperbaric chambers are used to treat a range of conditions including carbon monoxide poisoning and severe infections.
