The material has been developed by a spin-out company from the University of Leeds and is the culmination of seven years’ research and development. Tests show the textile can reduce bacteria levels by more than 90 per cent. 

By incorporating the self-disinfecting textile in a device, known as Surfaceskins, designed to be used on hospital doors instead of the traditional aluminium door plate – the part of the door that people push to open it – they aim to bolster hand hygiene.

Hospital doors are recognised as a key weak link in hygiene because of the number of times people touch them. It takes just one person with dirty hands to pass through a door to put everyone else who follows at risk of cross-contamination. 

Surfaceskins antibacterial door pads work by dispensing a small quantity of alcohol gel on to the pad when it’s pushed, to disinfect the surface ready for the next person to use the door. This low-cost device, which incorporates three separate non-woven textiles, is designed to be replaced after seven days or one thousand pushes, whichever comes sooner.

Rather than replacing the strict handwashing protocols in hospitals, it’s argued that the door pads will complement these rules and increase people’s awareness of the importance of hand hygiene. 

In a recent study of the new technology, published in the Journal of Hospital Infection, the Surfaceskins and control aluminium door plates were inoculated with bacteria at levels found on the hands of hospital staff. The study concluded that the Surfaceskins door pads were more effective than standard door plates over seven days in reducing the levels of three bacteria that commonly cause hospital-acquired infections: S. aureus, E. coli and E. faecalis.

Mark Wilcox, professor of medical microbiology at the university, who led the independent evaluation, said: “Our results suggest that Surfaceskins door pads can help reduce the contamination of doors by microbes. They offer a new way to reduce the risk of the spread of bacteria and viruses in hospital environments and other settings, where frequent contact with doors could undermine hand hygiene.”

According to data published in 2014 by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 300,000 patients a year in England succumb to hospital-acquired infections, which not only increase treatment costs but also put patients at risk of significant harm.

Chris Fowler, chief executive of NIRI, the spin-out firm that developed the device, said: “Surfaceskins address a definite need in a simple, effective and low-cost way. Designed to provide protection in many high-risk situations, the global market for Surfaceskins is immense. 

“In addition to the successful NHS trials, many organisations outside healthcare have expressed serious interest in introducing these self-disinfecting products. Surfaceskins can play an important role wherever door users have an interest in maintaining clean hands.”

The company has also developed a door handle using the Surfaceskins technology, suitable for doors which open towards you.

Surfaceskins is a collaboration between the Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute (NIRI) and two industrial designers, Adam Walker and Simon Scott-Harden.