The woman’s son claimed that staff failed to consult her care plan and visits were not accurately recorded before her death
A vulnerable woman was fed dog food by care workers who were unable to read the label during the final months of her life.
Portsmouth City Council has issued a formal apology following the incident, after care workers employed by Radis — contracted to provide home care on behalf of the council — committed a ‘litany of errors’.
An investigation carried out by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that the care the woman received amounted to a “significant personal injustice”, as she was repeatedly left alone for “prolonged periods of time” or denied food altogether.
The woman, identified in reports as Mrs Y, received home care from GP Homecare Ltd, trading as Radis.
Following a fall in April 2024, she was left with severely limited mobility and confined to her bed, with care workers visiting her home on a daily basis, reports the Daily Star.
Mrs Y’s son raised safeguarding concerns regarding a “lack of management oversight at Radis”, claiming that staff failed to consult her care plan, visits were not accurately recorded, and a ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ document was found “scrunched up in a cupboard”.
Portsmouth City Council subsequently launched a Section 42 safeguarding enquiry to examine the allegations, while Radis began its own internal investigation.
After Mrs Y suffered a mini-stroke, her family and Radis agreed she required a “soft diet due to the increased risk of choking”.
Despite this, in mid-June 2024, a care worker was discovered feeding the woman dog food, recorded in notes as a “lamb dinner”. Two care workers visited Mrs Y’s home, and a week later one raised concerns about witnessing the other “feed dog food” to Mrs Y.
The care worker “only realised the meat was dog food when they noticed the packaging in the kitchen”.
They initially attempted to reach a senior colleague to flag the incident, but their call went unanswered, leading them to report the matter in person the following week.
They were then questioned by the senior manager, who asked “why they did not remove the dog food” during the visit and “why they did not report the incident on the day it happened”, and were instructed to remove the dog food from Mrs Y’s freezer “to prevent any other care workers doing the same”.
It was later established that the care worker “fed three mouthfuls of microwaved dog food to Mrs Y”.
“This was vacuum packed dog food stored by Mrs Z in Mrs Y’s freezer. The food was labelled as “fresh take on dog food” and “for adult dogs and puppies”.
Following discussions between Radis and the family, it was agreed that a new care provider would be needed.
However, in July 2024, Mrs Y’s family opted to delay the new provider’s start date following a deterioration in her health, meaning Radis continued to deliver end-of-life care.
Mrs Y’s daughter alleged that “footage from Mrs Y’s home camera showed evidence of a care worker force feeding Mrs Y”.
Later in July 2024, Mrs Y passed away and it was determined she “died from frailty of old age”. Radis admitted failings in the care delivered following complaints from Mrs Y’s relatives, confirmed disciplinary measures taken against the carers and issued an apology.
The council’s inquiry also uncovered that Mrs Y was “left unattended for prolonged periods and on occasions left wet or in darkness overnight”.
The findings revealed that staffing levels were “inconsistent”, with worries raised about employees’ “attitude, compassion and respectful communication”.
There were additionally “Allegations that staff falsified records and that some visits had not taken place despite being recorded”.
The ombudsman recommended the council apologise, reimburse the care charges, and provide a symbolic payment of £1,000 to the relatives to “recognise significant distress” and the “delays” in the safeguarding investigation.
Councillor Matthew Winnington, cabinet member for community wellbeing, health and care, said: “We accept the Ombudsman’s findings in full and recognise the seriousness of what happened in this case. We ended our contract with Radis early and we no longer work with, or commission services from them.
“The care described in this report is not the standard anyone should expect, particularly at such a vulnerable time in someone’s life. We have apologised to the family and are very sorry for the distress they have experienced; we know this has been deeply upsetting for the family.”
He went on to say: “These events happened two years ago, and since then we have taken action to strengthen how we oversee care providers… Our adult social care services recently received a ‘good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission, reflecting the wider positive experiences of residents, the strength of partnership working across the city, and the support available to help people remain independent.”
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