19/05/2025
Hi All
Do you want to message your MP about the closing of the hyperbaric chambers...but not sure where to start ? One of our team members has put together a template for you to use - please see below....
[Your Address]
[Postcode]
[Email Address]
[Date]
[MP's Name]
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Dear [MP's Name],
Re: NHS England Recompression Chamber Contract – Urgent Concerns for Diver Safety
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding NHS England’s recent decisions relating to the national contract for hyperbaric (recompression) chamber services. As a diver and a constituent, I believe the current direction of travel will leave significant areas of the UK without reasonable access to life-saving hyperbaric treatment, placing lives at unnecessary risk.
In case you are unaware the plan is to close 4 of the 7 hyperbaric chambers we have in England, in the Wirral, Hull, Midlands and Whipps Cross, leaving only DDRC in Plymouth, Chichester and Great Yarmouth open.
The changes to the contract appear to centralise access to recompression facilities, effectively creating postcode-based safety disparities. This is entirely unacceptable in the context of emergency medical care, where conditions such as decompression illness require immediate intervention. Every diver, regardless of where they live or dive, deserves timely access to treatment that can mean the difference between full recovery and permanent injury—or worse.
Moreover, the reduction in available chambers and the lack of transparency around response times and geographic coverage contravene both clinical best practices and the UK's historical leadership in diving safety. It is not only recreational divers who are affected, but also commercial, scientific, and emergency personnel who rely on these chambers.
I urge you to raise this matter in Parliament and call for:
• A full review of the NHS England recompression service contract;
• Guaranteed equitable geographic access to hyperbaric chambers across the UK;
• Inclusion of diver safety organisations and medical experts in future consultations.
Diver safety should not be dictated by postcode. I hope you will support efforts to protect lives by ensuring that this vital emergency service remains both accessible and effective.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
