The woman was fed dog food by care workers (stock image) (Image: Getty)
A woman was fed dog food by care workers who couldn’t read the label in the last few months before her death.
Portsmouth City Council has apologised for the incident, after care workers employed by Radis, who were contracted to provide home care for the council, made a ‘litany of errors’.
A report 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 often left on her own for “prolonged periods of time” or not fed.
The woman, referred to as Mrs Y, received at-home care from GP Homecare Ltd, otherwise known as Radis.
She was left with reduced mobility and confined to her bed after a fall in April 2024, with care workers visiting her home everyday.
Mrs Y’s son raised safeguarding concerns about a “lack of management oversight at Radis”, claiming that staff did not refer to her care plan, visits were not recorded accurately and a ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ document was found “scrunched up in a cupboard”.
A Section 42 safeguarding enquiry was opened by the council to investigate the concerns, while Radis launched an internal investigation.
Mrs Y suffered a mini-stroke and it was agreed by her family and Radis that she needed a “soft diet due to the increased risk of choking”.
However, in mid-June 2024, a care worker was caught feeding the woman dog food, recorded as a “lamb dinner”.
Two care workers attended 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 contact a senior colleague to report the incident but their call was not answered so they reported the issue in person the following week.
They were asked by the senior manager 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 told to remove the dog food from Mrs Y’s freezer “to prevent any other care workers doing the same”.
It was later revealed that the care worker “fed three mouthfuls of microwaved dog food to Mrs Y”.
The woman was fed dog food [file image] (Image: Getty)
“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”.”
After a meeting between Radis and the family, it was decided a new care provider was wanted.
However, in July 2024, Mrs Y’s family decided to delay the new provider’s start date after a detoriation in her health, meaning Radis continued to provide 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 died and it was concluded she “died from frailty of old age”.
Radis accepted fault in the care provided in response to Mrs Y’s family’s complaints and confirmed action taken against the care workers and apologised.
The council’s investigation also found that Mrs Y was “left unattended for prolonged periods and on occasions left wet or in darkness overnight”.
The report stated that staffing was “inconsistent”, with concerns raised about workers “attitude, compassion and respectful communication”.
There were also “Allegations that staff falsified records and that some visits had not taken place despite being recorded”.
The ombudsman recommended the council apologise, refund the 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.
“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 countinued: “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.”