Ombudsman Cites 3 Months of Care Failures After Portsmouth Worker Fed Elderly Woman Dog Food
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 5
Ombudsman Cites 3 Months of Care Failures After Portsmouth Worker Fed Elderly Woman Dog Food
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 5
Summary
Three mouthfuls of microwaved dog food were given to an elderly Portsmouth woman in June 2024 after a Radis Community Care worker logged the meal from her freezer as a "lamb dinner."
The ombudsman said the incident was part of three months of "abysmal failures," with staff also accused of logging visits that did not happen, serving stale or inedible food, and leaving the woman wet or in darkness overnight.
A safeguarding inquiry opened in April 2024 took six months instead of the expected 28 days, and the report said Portsmouth City Council relied too heavily on Radis' internal investigation despite a wider probe into the provider.
Portsmouth City Council said it no longer commissioned Radis, refunded care fees and paid the family £1,000, while Radis said the worker no longer worked there and the company had withdrawn from Portsmouth by the end of 2025.