DDRC Healthcare

16/11/2025

🎁 DDRC is pleased to be a collection point for The Homeless Shoebox Appeal Plymouth 2025! 🎁

This wonderful group helps bring a little comfort and kindness to those in need across Plymouth this Christmas. Every donated shoebox is carefully delivered to local charities during the festive season.

You can drop off donations to DDRC, or items can be purchased through the Homeless Shoebox Appeal Amazon Wishlist https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1WFRRZF4DPDBH?ref_=wl_share

Last year, the Appeal created over 600 shoeboxes — Let’s come together to help spread Christmas cheer!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/959597877446702/

14/11/2025

Great to welcome Poole Diving to DDRC today! 👋

They joined us for a Chamber Dive and a look behind the scenes of hyperbaric medicine. Always fantastic to share what we do with divers, healthcare teams, and anyone curious about how our chambers work.

Here they are inside Krug, our largest multi-place hyperbaric chamber, taking part in a 40-metre chamber dive.

The dive profile included 9 minutes at depth, followed by a 5-minute stop at 6m breathing air, and a 15-minute stop at 3m on oxygen — a total dive time of 36 minutes.

🎈If you have spotted the balloons - these demonstrate a visual representation of what happens to gas filled spaces under pressure.

Thanks for joining us! 🙌

13/11/2025

⏰ Is your HSE Diving Medical due soon?

We’ve had a few last-minute spaces open for Thursday 20th November!

Call 01752 209999 to book — these appointments aren’t available on our online booking system.

👉 Free parking available
👉 Expert team of diving doctors

12/11/2025

Get your Santa suits (and drysuits) ready, because the most festive dive of the year is back! Scuba Santas returns to The Lake on Saturday, 13th December.

11/11/2025

🚤 Professional Boat Skippers’ Day – Free Event
🗓 Monday 19 January 2026 | 📍 DDRC Healthcare, Plymouth

Join us for an informative and practical day designed for professional skippers and crew.

Learn from DDRC Healthcare doctors about how to recognise and manage decompression illness (DCI), hear from a range of expert speakers (e.g. RNLI, Coastguard) and take part in hands-on sessions covering Basic Life Support and oxygen administration.

The day will also include real-life case studies, a Q&A session, and plenty of opportunities to network and refresh essential skills.

💡 Free to attend – spaces are limited. Booking essential!
👉 https://www.ddrc.org/training/courses/41-professional-dive-boat-skipper-day/region-UK/

07/11/2025

Although most people know us for treating divers, our chambers are here for anyone who needs emergency recompression.

Recently, we were called to support a patient at our local hospital who had suffered an arterial gas embolism — a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

One of our doctors attended to assess the patient, who was then transported to DDRC Healthcare for urgent hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

After just over five hours in the chamber, the patient’s condition had significantly improved, and they were safely transferred back to hospital later that day. 💙

05/11/2025

🌊💙 National Diabetes Month: Can You Dive with Diabetes? 💙🌊

Good news — yes, you can dive with diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2)! 🩺🤿

But your condition must be well controlled, with no recent hospital admissions or hypoglycaemic events in the past year.

Ways to stay safe when diving with diabetes:
✅ Let your buddy and boat crew know about your condition.
✅ Bring a glucometer, Glucogel, and a Glucagon kit — and ensure others know how to help if needed.
✅ Check your blood sugar before diving and eat beforehand to prevent hypos.
✅ Always carry appropriate safety equipment and have a plan for underwater signals if you start to feel unwell.
✅ Inform your insurance company before diving, especially abroad.

Diving with diabetes is possible — it just takes careful planning, communication, and awareness. 🌊

For more information, please visit our website https://www.ddrc.org/dive_with_diabetes/

05/11/2025

🎅 The countdown is on for Scuba Santas 2025!

We’re so grateful to be one of the chosen charities benefiting from this year’s festive dives at the South West Maritime Academy. Thank you to everyone taking part and supporting us — it means so much! 💙

If you fancy some underwater festive fun (and a bacon sarnie or two!), get involved on Saturday 13th December.

Find out more in the post below 👇

The countdown begins for this year's Scuba Santas...

When: Saturday 13th December 2025

Where: The LAKE at South West Maritime Academy

Come along and join in the festive fun. Free mince pies before the dives, free bacon sarnies for Santas after the dives. Raffle with prizes donated by many of the dive industries top brands.

All proceeds going to charity:

DDRC Healthcare
Headway-Gloucestershire

03/11/2025

🌊🪼World Jellyfish Day! 🪼🌊

Whether you’re exploring the deep or learning about marine life from shore, take a moment today to appreciate the incredible biodiversity of our oceans and the role we all play in protecting it. 💙

📸 We’d love to see your photos!
If you’ve captured jellyfish on your dives, share your images with us in the comments! Let’s fill our feeds with the wonder of the ocean and inspire others to explore it responsibly. 💙

31/10/2025

🎃 Pumpkin Carving Competition 2025! 👻

Our team got into the spirit of Halloween this week with a pumpkin carving competition — and what a creative (and slightly gruesome!) bunch they were!

A big well done to Sara, whose very gory, hand-eating pumpkin took the top spot! 🩸👏 Staff and visitors have been voting all week, and it’s been brilliant to see everyone get involved.

Needless to say, the pumpkins were a little too ripe by this morning, so they’ve now been safely disposed of — but it was definitely a fun and festive activity! 🎃✨

29/10/2025

🎓 Our Nursing Team Pass the Basic Hyperbaric Medicine Course!

This month, our amazing nursing team completed the Basic Hyperbaric Medicine Course — and of course, they all passed! 🏆

The course covers the key principles of hyperbaric medicine and patient care in a chamber environment, helping our nurses continue to deliver the highest standards of safety and care.

Huge congratulations to Susan, Tricia, Helen, and Annette for their hard work and dedication — we’re so proud of you all! 👏👏

27/10/2025

Upcoming Occupational Medicals – November Availability! 📅

We’ve got Novembers slots available for: ENG1, HSE, OEUK, EBS (Fit to Train), Chester Step Test, and UK Renewables (WIND) medicals! 🩺

Book now at: https://www.ddrc.org/medicals/

For all other medical enquiries, please call us on 01752 209999 or email medicals@ddrc.org.