Today, Hourglass Chief Executive Richard Robinson appeared on ITV’s This Morning alongside Justine, the daughter of Joyce, an older woman who endured a catalogue of failures while receiving care in her own home.

 

The detail that attracted headlines is almost impossible to comprehend: a care worker microwaved dog food, recorded it as a “lamb dinner” and fed mouthfuls to Joyce. However, to focus only on that incident risks missing the full extent of what happened.

 

An investigation identified concerns about missed or falsely recorded visits, stale or inedible food, unsafe medication arrangements and failures to monitor Joyce’s food and fluid intake. She was reportedly left unattended for prolonged periods and sometimes wet or in darkness overnight. Her care plans were significantly out of date and did not reflect her needs following a mini-stroke.

 

Safeguarding concerns had already been raised. Yet Portsmouth City Council’s statutory enquiry took six months to conclude, against a local target of 28 days. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that the Council relied too heavily on the care provider’s internal investigation instead of exercising independent scrutiny.

 

This was not simply poor care, it was a failure across multiple points of the safeguarding system. Neglect can include failing to meet an older person’s basic needs, disregarding an agreed care plan, missing essential visits or failing to act when their health deteriorates. We should not wait for visible signs of harm before taking concerns seriously. By then, the damage may already have been done.

 

Joyce’s experience has emerged amid a succession of disturbing cases across the whole of the UK. In Wales, 81-year-old Elizabeth Anne Shipton was verbally and physically abused by a care worker during a trial shift in her home. The abuse was exposed when her daughter checked security cameras remotely. Elizabeth, who lives with dementia, was left so traumatised that her family says she can no longer be left alone.

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In Kent, a care worker was sentenced to 19 years in prison after filming himself sexually abusing older women with dementia.

 

In Edinburgh, an NHS worker was jailed after stealing more than £62,000 from an 84-year-old patient whose bank account he could access through his position of trust. The economic abuse was uncovered only after the account had been emptied and the older person’s bank card was declined.

 

In Northern Ireland, a senior nursing assistant took and shared degrading photographs and videos of patients with advanced dementia. In Yorkshire, the director of a care company used powers of attorney to defraud people receiving care of more than £300,000.

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These cases involve different forms of abuse and occurred in different settings. But each involved an older person being harmed by someone in whom they had placed an expectation of trust.

 

The most disturbing truth is that abuse like this is likely happening somewhere in the UK right now. An older person may be being harmed by the very person they depend on, with no camera, no witness and no straightforward way to tell anyone.

 

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Valuing care means making it safe

 

The overwhelming majority of care workers provide compassionate and professional support, often while managing low pay, workforce shortages and considerable responsibility. Their work enables older people to retain their independence and connection to their communities.

 

But valuing care also means refusing to tolerate unsafe or abusive practice. Social care needs the investment required to provide safe, dignified support. Training must address dementia, ageism, capacity and consent, psychological harm, professional boundaries and whistleblowing. Workers need continuing supervision, while managers and providers must be held accountable for their decisions and responses to concerns.

 

England should also consider a comprehensive professional register for the social care workforce, providing greater consistency in professional standards, accountability and fitness to practise, bringing England closer to arrangements elsewhere in the UK.

 

The Ombudsman’s conclusion from Joyce’s case should resonate nationally: a council’s safeguarding duty does not end when a care contract is signed. Commissioners must scrutinise missed visits, complaints, care-plan compliance and the quality of providers’ investigations. When concerns arise, statutory bodies must act independently, promptly and transparently.

 

Joyce deserved safe and compassionate care. Elizabeth deserved to feel secure in her own home. Every older person deserves dignity, respect and protection. They should not need a camera, a determined relative or a national television appearance for their experiences to matter.

 

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If you are concerned about the abuse, harm or exploitation of an older person, Hourglass provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day.

Call 0808 808 8141, text 07860 052906, email helpline@wearehourglass.org or visit www.wearehourglass.org.