Meals on Wheels state manager Nelson Mathews fears service may disappear

State manager Nelson Mathews has grave concerns over the future of the meals delivery service as councils across the state move away from aged care services, including Meals on Wheels, due to growing uncertainty over funding and the prospect of facing more strict compliance measures.

At least 36 of the state's 88 Meals on Wheels services are now being run by federal government contracted providers. In many cases, new providers are struggling to meet operational costs and deliver satisfactory services.

Services in a number of areas have been significantly downgraded, with deliveries becoming less frequent, clients receiving frozen meals and prices increasing for some clients.

Mr Mathews said under current federal government guidelines, there was not enough onus on providers to offer the same level of service as their council predecessors.

"When they get the contract, they look at it and realise there's no money in it; they're going to lose money," he said.

"What happens is they don't retain their volunteers; they end up outsourcing the service."

Clients in some areas are only receiving delivery of frozen meals once weekly, or fortnightly. As a result, Mr Mathews said they were not receiving the regular social contact and welfare checks that formed a vital part of the service.

"Those relationships ... between a volunteer and a customer take years to build," he said. "There's a sense of safety, a sense of connection and quite frankly, it's just as important for the volunteers."

In some cases, he said, volunteers have been discarded altogether, with providers outsourcing the job to frozen food manufacturers who use their own staff for deliveries.

Mr Mathews also expressed concerns the dietary requirements of many clients were no longer being met.

"What about the really elderly person who has trouble heating up food? What about the ones who have chewing or swallowing difficulties? Are they getting texture modified food?

"We don't know, but I suspect a lot of people are slipping through the cracks."

He also fears the rising cost of meals in some areas may drive clients away altogether, with some paying up to $15 per three-course meal.

The current funding agreement stipulates that clients should pay for the cost of ingredients of each meal, which Mr Mathews said amounted to about $5.50 per meal. In Victoria, the federal government subsidises $7.50 per meal, with many.

"The feedback... is that this is not enough to run a proper Meals on Wheels service and break even without charging more, and receiving a higher subsidy," he said.

Mr Mathews said the organisation's recommendation was that the subsidy should be raised to at least $13 per meal.

He stressed while services had declined significantly in some areas, other independent providers were maintaining an excellent standard of service at a good price.

Meals on Wheels is one of a suite of aged care programs traditionally delivered through the federal government's Commonwealth Home Support Program, which is set to end in mid-2024.

Mr Mathews said the government had indicated the new model would move away from block-based funding to a more competitive, open market environment.

If block funding were to be abandoned altogether, providers would no longer receive base funding, with funding only provided after customers had received meals. There would also be more stringent compliance requirements.

"Block funding helps them [providers] plan and keep the business ticking over," he said. "The cash flow problem would then be compounded if they were operating in a more competitive environment.

"What local government is saying is, 'We don't want to operate in that competitive space'."

The number of councils opting out of the service is expected to grow.

"We have also been told by nine other local governments that they are 'reviewing' their role... which usually means they are planning on exiting," Mr Mathews said.

"These are the local governments that have chosen to share their plans with us. We suspect that it's more than double that."

Even if the government made the decision to maintain block funding, he expected councils to continue to leave the program, likening the situation to a "house of cards".

"I just think it's in real danger of disappearing, because who will make sure it keeps going? Do local governments, the new providers and the federal government have a vested interest in keeping it going?"

Meals on Wheels Victoria surveyed all its services earlier this year, and at the time there were about 10,000 customers, with just over 1.5 million meals being delivered each year.

A federal aged care spokesperson said providers were welcome to raise funding concerns with the department and funding levels were continually under review.

Any matters regarding food quality should be directed to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Mornington Peninsula Council is one of two local governments continuing to deliver Meals on Wheels, despite having already opted out of the commonwealth program.

Mayor Steve Holland said given the federal government's planned aged care reforms, council felt it had no choice but to withdraw from the program.

Despite this decision, continuing to deliver Meals on Wheels remained a high priority for council.

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"With one of the highest populations of older residents in the state, Meals on Wheels is a crucial service," he said.

"We have a large municipality and the cost of delivering Meals on Wheels to this area is prohibitive, which is a deterrent to other providers."

He said the service's volunteers had also expressed a strong desire to see Meals on Wheels remain in council hands.

Mornington Peninsula has 100 volunteers who deliver up to 1600 meals a week, driving up to 65km per delivery run.

"They make a massive difference to the health and wellbeing of our community," Cr Holland said.

Yarra Ranges Council is also continuing to deliver Meals on Wheels despite opting out of the commonwealth program.

For more information on Meals on Wheels Victoria click HERE.