By John Corness

ANGRY protests have greeted a new meals-on-wheels set-up in the Tenbury area. It has been branded a disaster by cooks, drivers and helpers, and even the elderly themselves. They claim it is inefficient, and even dangerous.

Meals have until now been prepared at Tenbury Community Centre with ingredients bought locally, and delivered by local volunteers. Now meals in tin trays are sent from Kidderminster.

The local team says they arrive late and cold, and the system is remote and costs more. One volunteer, Mrs Val Swanick, of Oldwood Common, brands it "a disaster" and "a debacle".

"Last Tuesday," said cook Julie Jeffries, "the meals arrived cold. I tried all morning to contact the person in charge at Kidderminster, but couldn't.

"In the end I was told to re-heat them. That's dangerous. It says on the lid they are not to be re-heated. So we threw them away and prepared new ones.

"In the end the meals were very late going out. Our volunteer drivers had gone home. We had to wait for someone from Kidderminster to come and deliver them. She didn't know the area or the people. We had to give her a map.

"One lady rang at 4pm asking why she hadn't had any lunch. One elderly man, who is diabetic, was quite ill when they got to him, because he should have eaten much earlier.

"It's 23 miles from Kidderminster. Why can't they see it's more expensive and less efficient?"

Mrs Barbara Chance, who organises the voluntary drivers, said: "As a result of this, we have already lost nine drivers, and a couple more may go. They are fed up. We are now down to the bare minimum number of drivers, and I have no reserves or stand-by."

Julie Jeffries said: "They don't seem to care about that. They just say they'll pay drivers to come from Kidderminster. But our drivers give their services free. It's pathetic."

One driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Today I waited 40 minutes for meals to be delivered. When they did finally come, they were not fit for delivery, and I didn't deliver them. I feel very let down. Volunteers give their time willingly but are treated with scant regard."

Mrs Swanick said: "To describe it as teething trouble is a gross understatement. The meals were not just late on Tuesday, but seriously under-heated. This was before the rounds started, and each round is at least 45 minutes. Due to the resulting confusion, we were also very late serving our luncheon-club clients.

"The result was that, as fresh meals had to be cooked and could not be ready before 1.15pm, the two drivers were unable to stay. The meals-on-wheels clients would be lucky to get their lunches before 2.30pm.

My most serious concern is the attitude and advice of staff at Kidderminster. Our instructions are quite unambiguous about meals being at the correct temperature and not being re-heated. Why was the Tenb-ury cook told to re-heat them?

"I realise change can improve a service. What doesn't seem to have been allowed for is the 20 miles from Kidderminster and the size of our catchment area.

"I fear Tuesday's disaster may well be repeated unless there is a re-think. They may also find themselves very short of volunteer drivers, which of course may be an ultimate intention."

Julie's mother Sylvia, also a cook, said: "The meals are not very nice. The elderly people are not happy. One man says he'll give it one more week and if it doesn't improve he will stop having meals. We used to buy our own vegetables and ingredients. Now meals come frozen, or are cooked in Kidderminster and brought here for us to warm up."

Meals are taken not only to old people at home, but to Age Concern lunch clubs at Penlu, where they serve 90 people a week, Stanford Bridge (25) and Stoke Bliss (10), and the community centre itself (18).

Personal touch

"Stanford Bridge are very unhappy, and say if it doesn't improve they'll opt out," said Julie. "Why change a system that was working well, where everybody was so happy? Some of our drivers have been doing this for 25 years.

"The personal touch has gone completely. The people from Kidderminster ask us, Where's Knighton-on-Teme? Old folk get very confusing forms every four weeks to choose menus in advance, and then don't get what they order. If they have complaints they are told to ring Kidderminster, not here. We have been told we are not to deal with phone calls any more."

One volunteer said: "I think it's a way of shutting us down. As usual, Tenbury is on the edge of the county."

Worcester Social Services said the service was contracted out to the WRVS. "We were told about the diabetic man, and sent out a homecare assistant so that he got some food.

"It's clear the new system is having teething troubles, but it will take a few weeks to give it a fair trial. It gives more choice of menu, rather than people just receiving what is prepared for them."

Despite repeated efforts, the Advertiser was unable to obtain any comment from the man in charge of the new set-up.

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