Meals on Wheels announces a new first

Meals on Wheels services nationally are reporting demand for their services is exceeding their capacity to deliver, as Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) funding and meal allocations run short.

About 15% of Meals on Wheels services are reporting demand is exceeding their funded CHSP capacity.

Claudia Odello, CEO Meals on Wheels NSW, told The Weekly SOURCE the shortfall is because Federal Government CHSP funding has not kept pace with demographic growth and rising community need.

Long waiting lists for Support at Home are also contributing to the issue.

"CHSP acts as a 'buffer' while people sit and wait, but CHSP has not been resourced for that expanded role," she said.

Some Meals on Wheels services have had to turn people away or introduce waiting lists for the first time in the organisation's 70-year history, she said.

"This is deeply concerning," said Claudia. Not being able to access nutritious meals could mean older people miss out on an essential support that "helps them stay well at home" and "can prevent avoidable escalation to hospital or more expensive levels of aged care".

A local service provider feeling the pressure is IC Care, which operates in Wollondilly on the south-west fringe of Sydney. IC Care has been forced to introduce a waitlist for Meals on Wheels due to funding shortfalls.

And Newcastle Meals on Wheels reports being short-funded for around 500 clients, but continues to deliver meals to "as many people as possible".

Meals on Wheels NSW is advocating for:

• Adequate CHSP funding and allocations that reflect demographic growth and rising costs, including for food, fuel, wages, utilities, insurance, and compliance.
• Better data and visibility of the true scale of Meals on Wheels delivery across CHSP and Support at Home clients, so decision-makers can see real demand and unmet need.
• Limits on excessive margins and surcharges so clients aren’t priced out and budgets eroded. Some Support at Home providers are charging up to $69 for a full meal, making meals for some unaffordable. Claudia revealed some clients are being forced to choose between whether they order a nutritious meal out of their Support at Home package or pay for a shower.

"Concerned" about CHSP integration

Claudia is among a growing cohort "very concerned" about the planned merging of the CHSP into Support at Home, which could happen as early as next year.

"It risks turning a simple, accessible entry pathway [for care] into a more complex and bureaucratic system," she said.

"Around 834,981 people accessed CHSP services in 2023–24. Moving that volume into Support at Home would place enormous strain on a system that is already experiencing delays and complexity."

Meals on Wheels NSW is advocating for CHSP-funded programs (like meals) to remain distinct from Support at Home, but working alongside it to "preserves genuine choice and protect access to essential supports".

Professor Kathy Eagar, who is urging the Government to maintain and expand the CHSP, is on the board of Meals on Wheels NSW.