Irisys is working to develop systems to cut infection rates. NHS figures show that about nine per cent of patients actually acquire infections during a hospital stay. This costs the Health Service around £1billion annually – money that could be saved by something as simple as regular hand washing.
In 2010, the National 
Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme awarded Irisys a two year contract to develop sensors to drive improvement in compliance with hospital handwashing regulations.
Together with associated communication and reporting systems, the result will be a groundbreaking automatic monitoring and alerting system that will be affordable and non-intrusive. Initially designed for the NHS, the system will subsequently be applicable to all healthcare providers, and to other industries such as food processing and handling throughout the world.