Poor Communication, Lack Of Promised Updates Regarding Ongoing Complaints And Issues.
Written by: Daniel McMorrow (dmcmorrow@mage-net.net)- Submitted
- Acknowledged
- Response Due
- Response Actual: (47 days late [from Submission])
- Submitted
- Response Actual: (9 days late [from Submission])
Adult Social Care attributed this to the officer using the wrong response template.
I discuss this issue further in Wrong escalation procedure.
Background
Acknowledgment
The complaint was raised on , and acknowledged on representing an administrative delay of (43 days late).
The acknowledgment refers vaguely to an appropriate officer without identifying who they could be.
The acknowledgement states:
Thank you for your complaint received on 30/07/2026. Please accept our apologies for the delay in acknowledging your correspondence. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, the case was mistakenly filed away and was not progressed as intended. We regret any inconvenience or frustration this delay may have caused.
The takeaway here is during a complaint about Poor Communication, Lack Of Promised Updates Regarding Ongoing Complaints And Issues. They make the same administrative error that was partly the cause of the complaint.
—Stage One: Standard public-sector defensiveness
The response states...
On 27th May 2026, Tracy Park wrote to Mr McMorrow explaining that she would act as a main point of contact to help ensure communication was more coordinated and supportive. The email also advised that complaint correspondence would continue to be managed through the appropriate complaints channels and stated: [...]
Since that time, several of the issues raised by Mr McMorrow have continued to form part of ongoing formal disputes, including those that sit with our legal department. The matters referenced in your complaint substantially overlap with issues that have been progressed through the Council's legal processes. As such, information gathering, responses and updates have necessarily been coordinated through the Council's Legal Services team to ensure that information provided remains accurate, consistent, complete and reflective of the most up-to-date position. This approach helps avoid conflicting information being issued through multiple channels while formal matters remain under consideration.
The response also states...
If you are unhappy with my response, you can ask our Feedback & Resolutions team to review your complaint at the second stage of our internal complaint’s [SIC] process. Please let the team know what your desired outcomes are, this normally must be done within six months of the response. Their contact details are: Email: S2Complaints@Haringey.gov.uk.
It is my firm position that this matter should have been handled as an Adult Social Care (ASC) statutory complaint. Because the issue centers on poor communication and the failure to provide promised updates regarding adult social care, managing it under the corporate complaints procedure is inappropriate. Poor communication concerning adult social care functions falls squarely within the statutory remit of The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/309).
- The Acknowledgment failed to confirm this as an ASC Complaint.
- The response incorrectly advised the wrong escalation procedure.
- The response only deals with concerns within the Adult Social Care department.
Under The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009. Regulation 6 the council is required to handle complaints regarding social care functions under the statutory framework.
Outcome
They either respond and it gets referred to the LGO with all the mistakes Or they don't respond and it gets referred to the LGO under the 16 week rule with all the mistakes.