27/07/2007

NI Recompression Chamber still unopened

The only NHS recompression chamber in Northern Ireland, installed at the end of last year, has still to be opened.

A 50-year-old diver had to be flown to the Isle of Man following an accident in County Down because the recompression facility at Craigavon was unavailable.

The recompression chamber, which provides treatment for 'the bends', replaced an older chamber that was in use since the 1970s.

Delays on opening the chamber are due to operational procedures, such as staff rotas, still waiting to be worked out.

The health trust has said that their staff have been trained on the new machine and it hopes that the chamber will open at the end of August.

(SB/SP)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

08 March 2024
Infrastructure Minister Offers Condolences On Latest A5 Fatality
Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd has offered his "heartfelt condolences" following the latest fatality on the A5. Minister O’Dowd said: "I wish to send my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Caolán who lost his life in a road traffic collision on the A5 last night.
07 June 2023
Deadline Nears For Chamber Business Awards
Businesses across Northern Ireland are being urged to enter the 2023 Chamber Business Awards before the deadline of Friday 23 June. Recognising and rewarding excellence in local business, the Chamber Business Awards is one of the UK's most contested and prestigious business award programmes.
30 May 2012
Plastic Bag Charge 'Must Not Be Revenue-Focused'
A potential charge for plastic bags should be introduced to help the environment, not to make money. That was the view of members of the Environment Committee at Stormont, who debated the proposed carrier bag charge in the Assembly Chamber yesterday.
27 July 2021
Lessons Learnt During Pandemic Can Help End Homelessness
An Alliance MLA has called on Northern Ireland to learn lessons from the response to the pandemic to help end homelessness across the region. Strangford MLA Kellie Armstrong spoke highly of how agencies worked together to ensure anyone sleeping on the streets was provided with safe and secure accommodation during the first lockdown.
22 November 2019
Paddy Barnes Retires From Boxing
Belfast fighter Paddy Barnes is to retire from professional boxing. The twice Olympic bronze medalist from north Belfast issued a statement on Twitter on Thursday night after "taking some time" to reflect. "I have loved every minute of boxing, it has been my life for the last 21 years," he said.