It is a truth universally acknowledged that a regulator in possession of a dodgy report must be in want of a cover-up.
–Attr: Austen, Miss J.
Yesterday on Newsnight, the Chief Stoat was worrying another victim, on this occasion the Chief Pongo for the time being at Can’t Quite Cope, the body charged for the time being with keeping an eye on the quality of health and social care in England. The story is that CQC had given a certain NHS Trust a green light when it should have flashed a red. On finding the error, senior staff at CQC ordered all lights off, all shredders on, and folk who should have known better started wall-papering their arses. But wall-paper is no match for the brown stuff. As the skid marks appeared, the CQC leadership panicked, turned to its lawyers, and received the extraordinary advice to hide behind the Data Protection Act. It was the absurdity of this advice, not to mention that it was followed, that caused Paxo’s eyes to enlarge in visible increments. Mr Behan, the Chief Pongo for the time being at CQC, responded for the time being by talking up his leadership, but the vigour his assertion was compromised by the fact he spent most of the interview looking like a goldfish about to lead the escape from a wet paper bag.