Ombudsman Report Details Abysmal Failures in Care Leading to Elderly Woman Being Fed Dog Food

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has revealed significant care failures by Radis Community Care, including an incident where a home carer mistakenly fed an elderly woman microwaved dog food. The report highlights a broader pattern of neglect in Portsmouth, where the provider allegedly falsified visit logs and left the vulnerable client in substandard conditions for months. This case underscores critical issues regarding local authority oversight and the legal responsibility of councils to maintain safeguarding duties even when services are outsourced to private firms.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Clarke, described the case as "truly shocking" after a Radis Community Care worker served a client food labeled "for adult dogs and puppies" from her own freezer. The worker had logged the meal as a "lamb dinner" before a second carer discovered the error; the elderly woman consumed three mouthfuls of the pet food in June 2024, just one month before she passed away from frailty. This incident was part of a three-month period of "abysmal failures" that included staff logging visits that never occurred, providing stale or inedible meals, and leaving the woman in wet clothing or darkness overnight.

The investigation further revealed that the woman's Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) document was found scrunched up in a cupboard, indicating a severe lack of professional standards and respect for the client's medical directives. While Portsmouth City Council had opened a safeguarding inquiry in April 2024 following family complaints, the process took six months to complete—significantly exceeding the 28-day target. The Ombudsman criticized the council for relying too heavily on Radis’ internal investigations and failing to exercise proper scrutiny, especially since the provider was already under a separate inquiry regarding its performance at the time.

In response to the findings, Portsmouth City Council has terminated its contract with Radis Community Care, refunded all care fees, and paid the family £1,000 in compensation. The council stated it has since improved its monitoring of care providers and its internal response mechanisms for safeguarding concerns. Radis Community Care, which has since dismissed the worker involved, characterized the mistake as "wholly unacceptable" and noted it would voluntarily withdraw from providing services in the Portsmouth area by the end of 2025. The Ombudsman’s final report serves as a stark warning to the sector that statutory safeguarding duties cannot be outsourced to third-party contractors.