[Margaret Pilkington]

Max, they brought back the matrons, but it was just another layer of management.
The Salmon Report in 1966 changed the management structure of Nursing.
One Matron, who would oversee the whole hospital was replaced by Nursing Officers (one for each specialty) So what had been done by one woman was now going to be done by many(a lot of them career nursing men - not that interested in looking after patients, but more interested in climbing the career ladder)........and the management pyramid has continued to expand from there.......all of it costing more and not much of it benefitting the patient.

Any nurse who transgressed(broke a thermometer, ran in a corridor) was summoned by Matron for a dressing down.
Now, I want to tell you that this was before my time as a nurse, but a very good friend of mine became a cadet, then a nurse, while the Matron system was still in operation.
She remembers being summoned to Matron Knavesy for breaking a large Winchester bottle of cleaning fluid - her pay was docked by one shilling.
Matron had the power in those days.
The Modern Matrons were just a sop to public opinion....the public thought that bringing back the matron would cure the ills in the NHS.....no such luck. Giving someone a fancy title doesn't make things better if you give them little power to go with the title.