U.K. chief nursing officer (CNO) role disappears in downsized Department of Health. Changes to the CNO role were presaged in August with reports in both the Nursing Standard and the Nursing Times. Howard Catton, head of Policy and International for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), told AJN in an e-mail that, despite the change, "The RCN has successfully secured a nurse director within the new Department of Health, who will have a responsibility for social care and public health." However, the nursing director will report to one of five directors general, who in turn report to the permanent secretary. In contrast, the chief medical officer will continue to report directly to the permanent secretary, creating disparity between the professions, Catton told AJN. He added that high-level discussions on the issue continue and that the RCN still hopes to achieve parity between the two roles.