An apology has been issued after an elderly woman was unintentionally fed dog food by a carer. The worker from Radis Community Care found the pet food in the woman’s freezer labelled as a ‘lamb dinner’ and logged the meal, an investigation found.
It was only when a second carer noticed the packaging said ‘fresh take on dog food’ and ‘for adult dogs and puppies’ that the error was realised. The woman ate three mouthfuls of the food in June 2024. A month later, she died from frailty of old age, the report confirmed.
Subpar care over three months
This was one example of subpar care across three months, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman concluded, referring to some as ‘abysmal failures’. Portsmouth City Council has said it no longer commissions services from Radis, with both organisations apologising for the mistakes.
A safeguarding probe was initially launched in April 2024 after the late woman’s family made complaints. However, Portsmouth City Council did not operate with proper scrutiny, despite already being at the centre of a separate, wider investigation at the time.
Investigation delays and failures
At first, the council relied on Radis’s own internal inquiry, which was not thorough enough. ‘The Councils cannot outsource their safeguarding duty,’ stated the report. It therefore took six months to complete the investigation, but it should have only taken 28 days at most.
Later, it was found that Radis staff had logged visits that did not happen, fed the woman stale and inedible food, and left her wet in the dark overnight. The report also noted that her Do Not Attempt Resuscitation order was scrunched up in a cupboard.
Ombudsman’s response
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.’
The woman’s family has been refunded caring fees and given an extra £1,000 by the council. It has said that monitoring of care providers has improved, as has the response to concerns.
However, Radis disputed that the council ended its contract with the company early, instead claiming it ‘voluntarily withdrew’ from providing services in Portsmouth in late 2025. The care worker who fed the elderly lady dog food is no longer employed by Radis.
In a statement, Radis said the fact that dog food was ‘mistakenly provided’ was ‘wholly unacceptable’.
