Photo credit: Spencer Phillips
The Diver Clinic, Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Unit based in Poole, Dorset will be permanently closing to patients on 31 January 2025.
The decision has been made on a mutually agreeable basis with the NHS and brings in to consideration the convergence of multiple commercial, contractual, and operational factors that cannot be met within the scope of the NHS contract, meaning it is no longer viable for the company to operate recompression facilities in Poole, Dorset.
The Diver Clinic will continue accepting patient referrals until 31 January 2025.
The NHS commissioning team are actively liaising with the The Diver Clinic to ensure an orderly and mutually agreeable closure of the service and facilities in Poole.
The Diver Clinic was originally started to service the central English Channel region, and has provided a 24/7/365 emergency recompression service for divers in Poole since 1992, during this time many divers have received emergency recompression at the facilities.
Sophie Heptonstall, BSAC Head of Diving and Training, said:
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The Diver Clinic would like to thank the dedicated, diligent and exceptionally experienced long standing team members who have delivered the service in Poole. The team would also like to thank the emergency services, maritime search and rescue, and medical support organisations who have all worked closely with them to save many lives over the last three decades.
From 11:00 GMT on 31 January 2025, The Diver Clinic in Poole, Dorset, will no longer be accepting patients for treatment. Any treatment enquiries received after this deadline will be returned to the referrer and provided with contact details of alternative facilities, as approved by the NHS.
