A newly-launched cosmetics brand is hoping to tackle the skin care issues commonly suffered by NHS nurses and midwives in the UK.
Nursem was launched by Jonny Philp, the husband of paediatric nurse Antonia, after he saw her in pain from frequent hand-washing during hospital shifts.
And it seems that Antonia is not alone; the NHS loses an estimated £9m in sickness absence as 87% of its nurses and midwives suffer with hand issues, according to Nursing Times.
Philp said: “I decided that I needed to do something to try and help.
“I recruited a panel of nurses and teamed up with Newcastle Science City to develop a hand cream that would protect and nurture healing hands.
“We’ve created a formula of nine naturally-derived active ingredients to soothe painful or irritated skin. Our mission is to make every shift better for registered nurses.”
Jonny and Antonia Philp
Nursem has set up a crowdfunding page, which has so far raised over £7,000, to support the roll-out of the brand.
The brand aims to provide free hand care to all NHS nurses and midwives by 2025, and has pledged to donate one of its Protective Hand Creams for every product sold.
The 3-sku range (£7.99-£19.99) also includes SOS Salve and Conditioning Hand Wash.
All of the products are free from petrochemicals, sulfates, PEG’s, parabens, phthalates, and artificial colours and fragrances.
There are currently 419,000 NHS nurses and midwives in the UK, who each wash their hands on average 55 times a day; only half (56%) of respondents confirmed that they have regular access to hand cream.