Care worker mistakenly fed Portsmouth woman dog food - report
A home carer unintentionally fed an elderly woman microwaved dog food, an investigation has found.The Radis Community Care worker logged the meal, from the client's freezer, as a "lamb dinner", before a second ...
A home carer unintentionally fed an elderly woman microwaved dog food, an investigation has found.
The Radis Community Care worker logged the meal, from the client's freezer, as a "lamb dinner", before a second carer saw the packaging and realised the mistake, the report said.
The food was just one instance of poor care over three months with some "abysmal failures", the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman concluded.
Portsmouth City Council said it no longer commissioned services from Radis. Both organisations have apologised.
The woman ate three mouthfuls of the food in June 2024, a month before she died from frailty of old age, the ombudsman's report said.
The meal came from a pack which was labelled "fresh take on dog food" and "for adult dogs and puppies", it added.
Previously, in April 2024, the council opened a safeguarding inquiry following complaints from the woman's family.
It eventually found concerns that Radis staff had logged visits that did not happen, fed the woman stale and inedible food and left her wet or in darkness overnight.
The woman's Do Not Attempt Resuscitation document was also found scrunched up in a cupboard, the report added.
The inquiry took six months to complete, when it should have taken no more than 28 days.
The council relied on Radis' internal investigation and did not exercise proper scrutiny, even though the company was already subject to a separate wider inquiry into its performance, the report said.
It warned: "Councils cannot outsource their safeguarding duty."
Ombudsman Amerdeep Clarke said: "This is a truly shocking case.
"A vulnerable woman's care deteriorated over many months while a statutory inquiry drifted without proper oversight."
Portsmouth City Council said it had refunded the care fees and paid the family an extra £1,000.
It said it had ended the Radis contract early and had improved its monitoring of care providers together with its response to concerns.
However, Radis Community Care said it "voluntarily withdrew" from providing services in Portsmouth at the end of 2025.
It said it had improved its services and procedures and was no longer employing the care worker involved.
In a statement, it added: "The fact that dog food was mistakenly provided was wholly unacceptable."