Apology after carer fed dog food to elderly woman by mistake
An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman revealed that a vulnerable elderly woman was fed dog food by a home carer. The report highlighted systemic failures in care oversight by both the provider, Radis Community Care, and Portsmouth City Council.
Why it matters
The case underscores critical lapses in safeguarding vulnerable adults and the risks associated with local government outsourcing of social care services.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The woman ate three mouthfuls of food labelled "for adult dogs and puppies" (stock image)
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.
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