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The next chief nursing officer for England has called on nurses to embrace evidence-based practices to mark International Nurses Day. The chosen theme of this year’s annual celebration of

nursing was “Closing the gap: from evidence to action”. NHS North of England chief nurse Jane Cummings, who will shortly take up her post at the NHS Commissioning Board, will use the event

on Saturday to call on nurses and midwives to support the Energise for Excellence framework. The framework, developed by senior nurses including Ms Cummings, brings together tools,

techniques and examples of best practice known to improve patient care. It is intended to encourage nursing staff to share knowledge with their peers at a local and national level.

International Nurses Day marked the launch of the first Energise for Excellence week of action in support of the initiative. Ms Cummings said nurses were “extraordinarily well-placed” to

lead a “revolution in evidence-based practice at ward level”. She said: “Energise for Excellence gives us a framework for analysing evidence and making improvements. Nurses are getting

together regionally to make the improvements that are most vital for them, then sharing their results nationwide. “That collaboration ensures the best ideas spread quickly, and I have been

delighted with the way nurses throughout the country have stepped up to the plate and developed really in-depth solutions to the problems that result in poor patient care.” In addition,

later this month 20 NHS providers in the north of England will publish detailed nurse related performance data as part of a transparency initiative. Ms Cummings launched the project in

February with eight trusts in the North West publishing data on patient harms, procedural compliance, patient experience and staff experience. The project has now been expanded and 12 more

trusts in the north will take part in the next monthly data release on 28 May, with other organisations from across the country also having formally expressed an interest in taking part in

future. Ms Cummings said: “We have had a flood of expressions of interest from hospitals, mental health trusts and community providers since the pilot launched in February, and I have been

overwhelmed by the nursing community’s enthusiasm.”