An investigation was opened after concerns were raised by the woman’s family as she was left alone for ‘prolonged periods’ with ‘inconsistent’ care in the months leading up to her death
A woman was fed dog food by care workers months before her death as they made a ‘litany of errors’.
Portsmouth City Council have apologised for the incident, after care workers employed by Radis, who were contracted to provide home care for the council did not provide ‘sufficient’ care for the elderly lady.
It has been determined that the care she received amounted to a “significant personal injustice” following a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
The woman, referred to as Mrs Y, received at-home care from GP Homecare Ltd, known as Radis.
Her care, after she was left with reduced mobility and confined to her bed following a fall in April 2024, raised concerns from her family.
She was often left for prolonged periods of time, with her son noting a “lack of management oversight at Radis”.
He said 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”.
Following these complaints, a Section 42 safeguarding enquiry was opened by the council, with Radis also launching an internal investigation.
In this period, Mrs Y suffered a mini-stroke and it was agreed she needed a “soft diet due to the increased risk of choking”.
But, in mid-June 2024, a care worker was caught feeding her dog food, recorded as a “lamb dinner”.
The incident occurred when two care workers attended Mrs Y’s home, with one raising concerns about witnessing this error.
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 issue but their call was not answered so they waited and reported the incident in person the following week.
When they did so, a 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”.
The care worker was also 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”.
“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 this, a meeting between Radis and the family, concluded a new care provider would be hired.
However, in July 2024, Mrs Y’s health declined and her family decided to delay the new provider’s start date, 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”.
In late July 2024, Mrs Y died and it was concluded she “died from frailty of old age”.
In response to complaint’s from the elderly woman’s family Radis accepted fault in the care provided and ensured action was taken against the care workers involved.
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 proposed 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 added: “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.”