An elderly woman was given dog food by care workers who couldn't read the label in the final months before her death. Portsmouth City Council has issued an apology after care workers employed by Radis, contracted to deliver home care for the council, made a 'litany of errors'.
Ombudsman finds 'significant personal injustice'
A report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the care constituted a "significant personal injustice" as the woman was frequently left alone for "prolonged periods of time" or not fed. The woman, referred to as Mrs Y, received at-home care from GP Homecare Ltd, known as Radis. She had limited mobility and was confined to her bed following a fall in April 2024.
Care worker fed dog food
In mid-June 2024, a care worker was caught giving the woman dog food, recorded 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 tried to report the incident but their call went unanswered, so they reported it in person the following week.
It was discovered that the care worker "fed three mouthfuls of microwaved dog food to Mrs Y". The food was vacuum-packed dog food stored in Mrs Y's freezer, labelled as "fresh take on dog food" and "for adult dogs and puppies".
Family raises concerns
Mrs Y's son had earlier raised safeguarding concerns about a "lack of management oversight at Radis", including that staff did not consult her care plan, visits were not logged accurately, and a 'Do Not Attempt Resuscitation' document was found "scrunched up in a cupboard". A Section 42 safeguarding enquiry was launched.
Following a meeting between Radis and the family, it was agreed a new care provider was required. However, in July 2024, the family postponed the new provider's start date after a decline in her health, so Radis continued end-of-life care. Mrs Y's daughter claimed 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, determined to have "died from frailty of old age".
Council apologises
The ombudsman suggested the council apologise, refund care fees, and offer a symbolic payment of £1,000 to the family 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."
He added: "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."
