On 28th April, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt visited international skincare and hand hygiene experts, Deb Group Ltd, at their HQ in Denby.
Mr Hunt toured the research facilities, meeting staff and seeing first-hand the exceptional research and development at the Derbyshire-based organisation.
Deb Group is the largest skincare product provider to the NHS, with 40% of the alcohol sanitiser and soap market. The organisation employs over 250 staff across the UK in research and development, manufacturing and distribution.
Deb Group has developed a unique electronic group monitoring system (GMS), which allows hospitals to collect the most accurate and transparent data on hand hygiene compliance. Encouraging positive behavioural change, the GMS supports the elimination of healthcare associated infections, such as MRSA and C.diff.
Bryan Anderson, Deb Group chief executive, said: “I was delighted to welcome the Health Secretary to our headquarters today to highlight the vital and innovative work we conduct in the area of patient safety.
“It may sound simple, but thousands of patients are put at risk every year due to poor hand hygiene practices in hospitals where current compliance measurement is wholly ineffective as a result of a reliance on archaic and flawed data collection techniques . It was encouraging to see Jeremy Hunt’s very clear desire to raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene in the fight to eliminate hospitals infections.”
Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for health, said: “I was pleased that Nigel Mills invited me to visit Deb, a successful local business, which is a major supplier to the NHS. It was fantastic to see and hear about how they are innovating ways to improve cleanliness and patient safety in NHS hospitals.”
