Pensioner’s delight at Trust ping frozen meals plans

Pensioner’s delight at Trust ping frozen meals plans

29 July 2015

A PENSIONER has welcomed a decision by health chiefs to abandon controversial plans to introduce a frozen meals on wheels service.

The South Eastern Trust confirmed last week it would not be proceeding with the scheme which would have resulted in pensioners being given frozen meals to last them up to 14 days.

Confirming the controversial plan will not be going ahead, health officials said pensioners will instead receive chilled meals which they can then heat themselves.

Angela Hamilton, who criticised the health trust when details of the plan first emerged, is pleased “common sense has prevailed.” 

She said the proposal to supply pensioners with 14 frozen meals every two weeks did not make sense as many pensioners did not have a freezer or enough room to store such a large volume of food.

Angela, who cancelled her meals on wheels service in the wake of the Trust proposal and unhappiness over the choice of meals, said she will now consider using it again. 

Having recently moved home from Ballyhornan to Downpatrick, the wheelchair-bound pensioner said the weight of opposition to the frozen meals service “has clearly impacted on health administrators.”

She argued the Trust plan was “never going to work” given the impact it would have on elderly and vulnerable people, even though when plans for the new service were unveiled, health officials insisted people would continue to receive a nutritious meal and benefit from a wider choice of options.

“Pensioners would have had to defrost their frozen meals before cooking them and this operation for some would be fraught with difficulty. The one point health officials appeared to ignore when they outlined their proposal was how many people had adequate freezer capabilities to handle so many meals.

“For many, the daily meals on wheels service is the only interaction they have on a daily basis. I know when I used the service the person who called at my home with my meal was on many occasions the only caller I had all day. 

“So there is much more to this service than just delivering meals, there is an important human contact element which for the elderly and those who feel vulnerable is vitally important,” she continued.

Angela said while health officials are often criticised for not listening to the concerns of the public on their proposals, “they have on this occasion.” She said many elderly people and their relatives across the district will be relieved the proposed frozen meals service has been abandoned.

“The upheaval associated with changing the meals on wheels service would have impacted on many. Aborting the frozen meal proposal is the right decision and it will be welcomed by many in the area.

“I would also encourage health officials to go a step further and look at the variety of meals they provide. While everyone’s tastes are different, I believe there is merit in looking at the current menus and updating them,” said the pensioner.

Angela said while health officials concentrate on ensuring the range of food they provide via the meals and wheels service is nutritious, she believes a greater variety would be appreciated by service users.

She added: “It is terrific news that pensioners will not be lumbered with 14 frozen meals every fortnight. Common sense has prevailed and health officials deserve credit for listening.”