Portsmouth City Council has terminated its contract with Radis Community Care after an investigation found a care worker fed an elderly woman microwaved dog food. The food was in packaging labeled 'for adult dogs and puppies' and was logged by the worker as a 'lamb dinner.' The incident occurred in June 2024, a few months before the woman, identified as Mrs. Y, died in July 2024.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's investigation uncovered a series of serious failures in the care provided by Radis Community Care. These included instances of giving Mrs. Y stale food, leaving her in unsanitary conditions overnight, falsifying care visit records, and force-feeding her as her health declined. A 'do not resuscitate' note was also found improperly stored.
Mrs. Y began receiving care from Radis in April 2024 after a fall. Her son raised safeguarding concerns shortly after regarding her positioning, food hygiene, and medication. Following a mini-stroke, an agreement was made to feed her soft food, during which time the dog food incident occurred.
Another care worker present noticed the dog food packaging but took a week to report it to a senior colleague. The food was subsequently removed from Mrs. Y's kitchen. A home camera later captured footage of a care worker appearing to force-feed the elderly woman.
An independent investigation by Portsmouth City Council concluded that Radis delivered 'poor' care, citing 'unsafe practices, weak management oversight, and failures in record keeping.' The Ombudsman recommended that Radis refund Mrs. Y's estate for all care fees paid between April and July 2024, stating the service was so poor that it was effectively not delivered. The council was also directed to apologize to Mrs. Y's family and pay an additional £1,000 for the distress caused by the care failings and delays in the safeguarding investigation.
Councillor Matthew Winnington, Portsmouth City Council's cabinet member for community wellbeing, health and care, stated that the council accepted the Ombudsman's findings and had ended its contract with Radis early. He confirmed the council has met the Ombudsman's requests regarding the apology and refund.
In a statement, Radis Community Care acknowledged that the provision of dog food was 'wholly unacceptable.' The company claimed it had 'voluntarily withdrawn' from its contract in Portsmouth.