Hyperbaric Medicine
How we can help you
Our Hyperbaric Unit cares for patients across New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory.
We can provide you with Hyperbaric oxygen therapy which involves breathing pure oxygen in our pressurised room or chamber. The increased oxygen levels in your blood stream help to heal damaged tissue that has a poor blood supply from a previous injury. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat:
- Diving related injuries e.g. decompression illness also called 'The Bends'
- Soft tissue radiation injury e.g. radiotherapy wounds or damage to the bladder or bowel related to radiation therapy
- Osteoradionecrosis or bone death, a rare side-effect of radiation therapy
- Chronic, non-healing wounds e.g. diabetic or hypoxic wounds or venous wounds
- Necrotising fasciitis or gangrene
- Some hearing and eye emergnecies (e.g.idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss within 1 week, and sometimes up to 2 weeks after onset )
- Gas related injuries (eg carbon monoxide poisoning and air embolism).
Our team includes:
- Hyperbaric staff specialists (anaesthetists, specialist intensive care and emergency doctors and nurses)
- Nurse Unit Manager
- Office Manager
- Registered Nurses
- Technical Officers/Biomedical Engineering staff
There are two types of hyperbaric chambers. Patients can sit in nice comfortable reclining chairs in our main chamber (it is essentially just a big room), and breathe oxygen via a mask. Or some patients may lie down in our single person chambers, however this is not suitable for everyone.
To prepare for your visit please read our patient information booklet.
Main Chamber
Picture of face mask
Picture of single person chamber.
You must have a referral from your Specialist or your local general practitioner to use this service. Your doctor will need to email (SESLHD-POW-Hyperbaric@health.nsw.gov.au) or fax a referral letter to 9382 3834.If the referral is URGENT the doctor Must call the Hyperbaric Doctor to discuss the issue(Not Fax OR Email) The referral needs to be addressed to one of our hyperbaric specialists ( Dr Mary Grealish, Dr Jan Lehm, Dr Robert Turner, Dr Radha McKay, Dr Darren Wolfers, Dr John Mackenzie, Dr Glen Hawkins or Dr Danielle Wood). The referral must include your medical history, relevant test results, phone number, address, date of birth.
These are the days our specialists work:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Dr Hawkins | Dr Grealish | Dr Wolfers | Dr Mackenzie | Dr Lehm |
| Dr Turner | Dr Hawkins | Dr Wood | Dr Lehm | Dr McKay |
Please also fill out the patient health questionnaire and patient registration sheet. We can only arrange an appointment once a referral from your doctor and questionnaire has been received.
Once we have all the paperwork, we will contact you via phone to arrange your appointment. We try to find an appointment time that allows you to attend in person or via Telehealth (Audio or Video), however we do have set times that our doctors are available. The Hyperbaric Unit opening hours are 8.00am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Please let us know if you need an interpreter. You can contact us telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.
If you live 100km (one way from your usual residence) from the hyperbaric chamber there is a government subsidy program called the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS), which will assist you with the cost of accommodation. You may also be eligible if choose to drive to the hospital daily for your treatment and the weekly total of km’s totals more than 200 km. Please discuss with our office manager who will guide you to fill in the appropriate form.
Visit this website to find the forms you need to fill in to claim for IPTASS.