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An elderly woman from Portsmouth, England, was mistakenly fed dog food by a caregiver in 2024
It was recorded as a “lamb dinner” and the unnamed woman, known as Mrs Y, took three mouthfuls of the canine food
Portsmouth City Council said it had ended its contract with community care company Radis, who apologized for the incident and called it “wholly unacceptable”
An elderly woman was mistakenly fed cooked dog food by a care worker in England, according to local reports.
The woman, only known as Mrs Y, was described as an “older adult” who received at-home assistance from the community care company Radis
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After suffering a fall in 2024, she was left with limited mobility and spent most of her time in bed, with care staff visiting her home daily
Mrs Y, who lived in Portsmouth, a city 75 miles southwest of London, then had a ministroke. A ministroke is also referred to as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), per the Mayo Clinic
It was agreed by Radis, which held a home care contract for Portsmouth City Council, and the woman’s family that she needed a diet full of soft foods as she was at an increased risk of choking, per Portsmouth News
In June 2024, two home carers came to her property and one of them cooked and fed her the dog food, which was recorded as a “lamb dinner,” per the BBC, citing an independent report.
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Mrs Y ate three mouthfuls of the food. The second carer noticed the error when they saw the packaging in the kitchen and later reported the incident, per Portsmouth News.
The wrapper for the food was labeled “fresh take on dog food” and said it was “for adult dogs and puppies”, according to the BBC
Mrs Y died a month later in July 2024, with the coroner ruling that the cause was “from frailty of old age.”
Her family had previously expressed their concerns and complained to the council about Mrs Y’s care, which sparked a safeguarding investigation in April 2024, two months before she was fed the dog food.
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It found that staff working for Radis Community Care had recorded visits that never happened and given her stale and inedible food. The investigation found that Mrs Y was left “unattended for prolonged periods and on occasions left wet or in darkness overnight,” per Portsmouth News
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The report added that the woman’s “Do Not Attempt Resuscitation” paper was discovered crumpled up in a cabinet
Amerdeep Clarke, from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman, an independent body that investigates complaints, described it as a “truly shocking case,” according to the BBC
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Portsmouth City Council told the outlet that it had returned the money that Mrs Y’s family spent on care and paid them an additional £1,000 ($1,347)
The council told PEOPLE in a statement that it had terminated its contract with Radis early, adding that they “no longer work with, or commission services from them.” But the care company claimed it had withdrawn its services in Portsmouth “voluntarily” at the end of 2025, per the BBC
“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 apologized to the family and are very sorry for the distress they have experienced; we know this has been deeply upsetting for the family,” Councillor Matthew Winnington, cabinet member for community wellbeing, health & care, told PEOPLE
“These events happened two years ago, and since then we have taken action to strengthen how we oversee care providers,” he added. “This includes closer monitoring where there are risks, informal inspection and clearer processes for escalating serious issues.”
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A Radis Community Care spokesperson said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the incident was “wholly unacceptable’ and they are “deeply sorry.” “We understand the shock and distress this caused, and we do not seek to minimize or excuse it,” they added
The support worker who prepared the meal is no longer employed by Radis, while the second employee was “subject to disciplinary action following an HR [human re
“Since concerns were first raised, we have taken significant steps to ensure we learn from what happened to mitigate something like this happening again,” the Radis spokesperson added
Read the original article on People
