Sir – I would like to respond to the article on changes to the meals on wheels service "Frozen food labelled despicable" (RTT, October 24).

Your rather alarmist headline does not do justice to the matter and may have had the unintended consequence of causing considerable worry to some of our older, vulnerable residents and their families.

I would suggest a different headline “new service to offer more independence and choice, better nutrition and help to combat the social isolation that can attend old age”.

The council now offers anyone who needs help a self directed support assessment and personalised support and advice, which meet their individual needs. We want to ensure services are planned around the person and not the person fitted into council services.

The council currently offers a hot meal-at-home and a frozen meal-at-home option: the food is exactly the same, but while the hot meal is heated up in the van en route, the frozen meals are delivered once a fortnight and the customer is provided with a small freezer, if required, and a small “servotherm”

heater specially designed to take an individual meal.

The price charged by the council is the same for both – £3.10 – though the cost to the council of the hot meal delivery is much greater and the service is heavily subsidised.

Each person who currently receives a hot meal at home has received a letter and factsheet explaining the changes and, over the next few months, will be contacted by social services staff and offered the frozen option with support if needed or, if required, a re-assessment of their needs under self directed support.

They may choose to transfer to the frozen meal at home option – but this is not the only option. They may choose to address meal requirements differently as part of their individual support plan, including help with shopping, cooking, taking lunch at a day centre or lunch club, or with support from family or friends.

Each person’s needs will be looked at individually to determine the most appropriate solution, including the need for daily or frequent contact – and carers or relatives who wish to be involved in the self assessment and support planning will be welcome to do so.

Concerns have been raised about the loss of the daily contact provided by the hot meal delivery driver, who is required to hand the meal to the customer and to report to social services if there is no answer or if the person is in difficulty.

However, the meal service is a meal service not a social care service, and I would be concerned about vulnerable older people whose only contact with the outside world was the delivery driver and who would be at risk without this call. We can and must do better. If there is a need for daily contact this will certainly be included in those users’ assessments and support plans.

There is also the careline/telecare option for people who live alone and are at risk. However, a large proportion of people on the hot meal service are on the moderate needs band, so it is highly likely that they will be able to manage the frozen meal service and will not be relying on the daily call to ensure they are safe and well.

Nevertheless, the savings from switching to a frozen meal only service will be used to fund extra home care support that some people will need.

A change in services for older people is always an anxious time and this approach requires individuals and their carers/relatives to think in a different way about what they would really like and how best this can be arranged.

Staff will be handling each case as sensitively as possible and have allowed plenty of time for the transition.

In addition, as we proceed to let the tender for the new frozen meals service starting in May 2009, the council will be looking for a range of meals which offer better quality and choice than under the current contract.

COUNCILLOR DENISE CARR
Cabinet member adult services, health and housing