The senior nurse in an organisation held the title of "matron", but there were wide differences in the amount of responsibility and the amount of pay they received: some matrons managed hospitals of only 20 beds, whilst others oversaw hospitals with hundreds.
[1] Following extensive lobbying by the RCN and the Association of Hospital Matrons, Enoch Powell (Minister of Health for England and Wales from 1960 to 1963) and Michael Noble (Secretary of State for Scotland from 1962 to 1964) appointed a Committee "to advise on the senior nursing structure in the hospital (ward sister and above)".
[7] In 1966, Margaret Dorothy Green planned two of the first experimental first-line management courses for staff nurses and ward sisters as recommended by the report.
[7] As a result of Salmon, matrons and senior nurses had to reapply for their jobs and not all were successful in their applications.
[10] There was confusion about the different grades established by the report, which was acknowledged by the follow-up Progress on Salmon in 1972.