Stuff happens

You know how it is, one sunny day you're walking along a beach watching the waves lapping and feeling the sun on your shoulders then suddenly there's a clap of thunder and glancing round you see an enormous cloud is nearly upon you. The wind suddenly gets up, you shiver as the sky darkens and a sheet of hail hits you, the waves are crashing at your feet...

Did it feel like that with the CQC? One minute we were minding our own business (or possibly trying to get to grips with HTM 01-05), when, all of a sudden, we were thrust into an inexplicable, even more complex and potentially frightening - and frighteningly expensive - process called 'regulatory reform'.

Although barricades were hastily constructed and protests were raised, it was, we were told, the law. Reluctantly most began to get involved.

In October 2009, a full year before the new regulations were passed, the last Government had thoughtfully considered what the prospects for this new regime might be in an impact statement which sought to predict and assess its methodology, costs and benefits. How do those predictions stand up in the light of the past 18 months?