Health Minister Kate Beecroft has hit out at ’myths’ she claimed were being spread in the Meals on Wheels row.

She rubbished assertions that vulnerable people would become more at risk as a result of her department’s shock decision to end its £159,000 a year contract with Age Concern to supply a Meals on Wheels service.

Instead, she said it was her department’s responsibility to ensure all its outside contracts delivered value for money.

On Tuesday, she told the House of Keys there would be no tender process for another provider, but that there were already other commercial operators providing a similar meals delivery service.

In a letter sent out to the Meals on Wheels users last week, the Department of Health and Social Care promised to provide details of other options by the end of November.

The contract with Age Concern will end in January.

The minister said: ’We are looking at all our commercial contracts, whoever they are with, whether it is a private company or whether it is a charity, to see if they are delivering the best value and if they are delivering what we actually currently need, because circumstances do change.

’They are commercial contracts and so we are reviewing them all and, obviously, we want to support charities and third sector organisations where we can, but it has to be on the correct basis of what we need at this current time.’

She pledged: ’Nobody is going to be left unsupported if they need support.’

Mrs Beecroft went on the front foot when she was called upon to explain the decision in an emergency question.

Last week, the Age Concern said it was ’shocked’ at the ’short-sighted’ decision to end the contract and said it had not been consulted.

Although she attacked ’myths’, Mrs Beecroft admitted that much of the information she gave in her statement on Tuesday had not been released when the department announced the decision last week.

The reason for not saying anything earlier was because the department ’did not wish to be overly critical of a third sector provider’, she said.

However, she added: ’The media attention and statements made by Age Concern have left us with little choice but to provide this additional information.’

Mrs Beecroft said among the ’myths’ being put out was that Age Concern provided the service free of charge - not something either the charity or Isle of Man Newspapers has claimed.

She also said it was a myth that Age Concern delivers hot meals.

’They deliver cook chill meals which the recipient, or their carer, heats and then serves the meals themselves.’

She added: ’More people are choosing to buy their meals from other providers and there was a 10% decrease in people choosing the Meals on Wheels option in the last year.

’Should Age Concern decide not to carry on with the service once this subsidy is withdrawn, the department will assist the current users to select one of the alternative suppliers that best meets their needs. Age Concern has not yet indicated whether they intend to continue to provide the service without subsidy.’

The minister said there was no statutory requirement for the department to fund the service.

’We have seen a decline of 10% of people seeking this service over the last twelve months, and yet our level of subsidy has increased,’ Mrs Beecroft continued.

There were no longer 300 users - as the department, itself, had said last week - but ’270-something’, she stated.

’Continuing with the current arrangements has been considered but rejected as the payment of the subsidy is not sustainable and only a limited number of users benefit from a cook chill meal.’

Mrs Beecroft added: ’Of the people currently receiving the service, a significant number also receive other services from the department including day services and home care services, and so receive a welfare check beyond that provided by Age Concern.’

Rob Callister (Onchan) who had tabled the emergency question in the House of Keys, remained concerned.

’The service currently delivered by Age Concern goes well beyond Meals on Wheels,’ he said, arguing the service provided important social interaction, friendship and wellbeing checks.

’Can I ask the Minister if her department is again picking the low-hanging fruit and ending the contract with Age Concern could potentially cost the Department a lot more in the near future?’

Mrs Beecroft rejected this, stating: ’All the people who actually need welfare checks are already getting them. We do not rely on Meals on Wheels to perform those because that is not part of the commercial contract which they have with us.’