A care provider has apologised after staff fed dog food to a vulnerable woman during a home care visit.
Radis Homecare care workers, contracted to provide home care for Portsmouth City Council, mistakenly gave the meal to the woman during the last months of her life.
The mix-up led to a wider investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which found "significant personal injustice" had occurred.
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A spokesperson for Radis Homecare said a support worker "mistakenly" served a "vacuum-packed meal that was intended for a visiting family dog".
The spokesperson added: "It was labelled as dog food and should never have been served to the woman.
"The product was stored in the woman’s freezer and was commercially packaged in a way that resembled a human ready meal.
"Once heated, it also had the appearance of human food."
The company said the error should have been identified before serving the meal and acknowledged the distress and error without making excuses.
The spokesperson said: "We fully acknowledge how shocking and distressing this was, and we do not seek to minimise or excuse what happened."
Radis confirmed that the support worker responsible is no longer employed with the company, and another staff member has faced disciplinary action.
The company said it is "deeply sorry for the distress caused to the person we supported who was at the centre of this case and her family.
"We accept that aspects of the care she received, and of our management oversight, fell below the standards they had every right to expect."
Since the incident, Radis said it has introduced major improvements to care planning, nutritional guidance, record keeping, and staff supervision.
Additional training in safeguarding has also been introduced for team leaders and managers.
The spokesperson said: "We have also enhanced safeguarding training for managers and team leaders, strengthened audit and quality-assurance arrangements, reviewed our safeguarding and whistleblowing processes, and developed our digital care-planning and oversight systems."
Radis Homecare has since withdrawn from its contract with Portsmouth City Council and ceased providing services in the area as of December 1, 2025.
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