Divers suffering with the bends in Jersey could be sent here
DIVERS suffering from potentially life-threatening decompression sickness in Jersey waters could be sent to Guernsey after that island’s only hyperbaric treatment centre closed.
The chamber shut following the withdrawal of States of Jersey funding and difficulty in training staff.
In Guernsey, Health & Social Care rented a chamber after St John Ambulance closed its facility in 2014, saying it did not have the money to repair or replace it. HSC announced in December that it would buy a chamber, with £440,000 put aside, according to the latest accounts.
Elaine Le Claire, a technician at the Jersey chamber, said: ‘Funding is a major part of it but we also need to be able to train our team and have them certified, which has also proven to be difficult.
‘If our team does not have certification and something goes wrong, then we could be in big trouble. We need to cover our backs.’
Ms Le Claire added that the chamber was also now getting old and required regular maintenance and replacement parts.
‘We got it in the 1980s and it was second-hand back then,’ she said.
‘We have pressurised air filters that are contained within special metal containers and they cost £2,500 each.
‘We also need to bring a gentleman over from the UK to test and certify the whole chamber, which normally takes about two to three days and can cost £4,000 to £5,000. There are constantly costs involved.’
Ms Le Claire also said that divers suffering from the bends may now be forced to travel to chambers in France, the UK or Guernsey at a cost of around £30,000 per treatment. She added that many divers were putting themselves at risk because they did not have insurance and she said that symptoms of decompression sickness were best treated early.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Jersey Health Department said it had had no warning of the closure and was looking at how divers could be treated. It also said it had put in ‘considerable effort’ to engage with the staff operating the chamber but had been unable to make contact and resolve the issue.
A spokesman said: ‘Although we do have the option of taking those who need emergency care to Guernsey, where there is an operational chamber, this is not a satisfactory long-term option and we are now working with Ports of Jersey on the feasibility of re-establishing this facility in the island.’
