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 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.