Gosforth's Nursem closes in on a million months of free hand care for NHS staff

Antonia Philp was a newly qualified paediatric nurse on a busy children's medical ward when her hands broke down. Constant hand washing left them cracked, bleeding and sore, and she was signed off work to let them heal. It was the start of the journey that led to Nursem, the Newcastle skincare brand she runs with her husband Jonny.

The couple, high school sweethearts who live in Gosforth, realised Antonia was far from alone. Health care professionals can wash their hands 50 to 100 times a day, and the vast majority will suffer from some form of contact dermatitis during their careers.

Antonia drew up a wish-list for a cream that would be fast absorbing, non-greasy and as natural as possible, and Jonny took on the day-to-day running of the venture. They began trialling products with nursing staff in 2011 and spent years testing and tweaking. The business first traded as Yes Nurse before rebranding as Nursem in 2019, the same year it launched with Boots.

At the heart of the brand is the Nursem Promise: for every product sold, the company gives a month's worth of free hand care to a nurse, midwife or other NHS healthcare professional. By the time the couple appeared on the Jazz Shapers podcast, published in September 2026, more than 750,000 months of free hand care had been delivered, with a million in their sights.

The brand has enjoyed some remarkable moments along the way. All five Dragons on BBC's Dragons' Den made offers, and the pair accepted Tej Lalvani's investment of £75,000 for a 5% stake. During the pandemic, an appearance on BBC daytime television brought more sales within 24 hours than in the whole of 2019, and the team grew to 11 people.

Through it all Antonia has kept nursing, working as a specialist transplant nurse looking after children who have had heart or lung transplants. "I love looking after my patients and that will never change," she told the Royal College of Nursing.

Today the range includes the bestselling Caring Hand Cream alongside cleansers, repair treatments and gift sets, and the brand has been featured in titles including Vogue and Sheerluxe.

Nursem products, and details of the Nursem Promise, are available on the brand's website.