Meals for 21st century

Published: 23 June, 2011

• THE New Journal Comment of June 16 (Humanity is lost in the budget balance sheet) is nothing but ill-informed opinion that will undoubtedly cause unnecessary concern to those who use the meals on wheels service in its current format. 

Even a cursory glance at the cabinet report would demonstrate that we are seeking to modernise and improve a service that is declining in popularity. 

Since June 2008 nearly a third of those who used the service opted to stop receiving meals and now only 206 people receive a daily delivery.

The decline is due to the quality and variety of food available under the existing contract, and continuing without change will result in larger costs as we cater for less and less people. Does the New Journal suggest that we continue a service that is clearly not fit for purpose in the 21st century? 

It is remarkable that you might think that heating up meals in a van and then carrying them to someone’s home at a time they have little choice over is preferable to a home care worker spending time with the service user helping them with their meal.

Not only would this continue the provision of hot, nutritional, food to our vulnerable residents, it would allow those who need specialist care and interaction receive it as the food is cooked in their own home by professional carers. 

This would increase the vital link you so quickly suggest will broken by a new service.

Protecting the vulnerable and delivering top quality services is our aim and that is why I am pleased to be consulting service users on a proposal that would increase the interaction between service users with specialist needs and trained professional carers.

To suggest that we have lost our way or that these proposals are driven by reducing costs in an uncaring manner, is narrow minded and insulting.

Worse, it will do nothing to reassure those who need and will continue to receive a quality hot meal.

CLLR PAT CALLAGHAN
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care