Adults and Communities London Borough of Barnet North London Business Park Oakleigh Road South London N11 1NP

[Click here enter recipient’s address] Contact: Engagement Team Tel: 020 8359 4366 Email: engage.adults@barnet.gov.uk Date: 3 August 2015 Our Ref:

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Dear [Click here and type salutation]

Re: Barnet Council’s Home Meals Service provided by Sodexo You have received this letter because you are currently receiving a Home Meals Service from Sodexo. I am writing to inform you that Barnet Council’s contract with Sodexo is due to end on 31 March 2016. Over the last few months, Barnet Council has been reviewing the existing home meals service and looking at how else we can meet people’s nutritional needs through the use of other alternative services available in the community and by supporting people to live independently. This review has considered how we can promote choice, independence and value for money for you and the council. Although the council has provided a home meals service over the years, local authorities do not have a statutory duty to provide meals. Councils do have a statutory duty to meet assessed eligible needs and have a duty to safeguard vulnerable adults. We are proposing to no longer provide a home meals delivery service in Barnet. If agreed by Adults and Safeguarding Committee, we would support you to identify and arrange for alternative options within the community, for example lunch clubs or other catering companies. In exceptional circumstances, Barnet Council will consider support for meals, for example, where service users do not have the means to source or cook a meal. We want to hear your views about our proposal or your suggestions about how else we support people to get a meal in Barnet. You can tell us what you think by phone: 020 8359 4366 by email: engage.adults@barnet.gov.uk or by post to the address above by Friday 18 September 2015. We have also enclosed a fact sheet with this letter setting out the reasons for this proposal. We have arranged for you to have a review by adult social care to look at your nutritional needs and find out if there are alternative ways of supporting you to get a meal and give you more choice over your meals. You will have the opportunity to express any concerns you may have and discuss alternative options that suit you. A member of our Adults and Communities team will be in touch in the next couple of weeks to arrange an appointment with you. If the Council decides to end the contract with Sodexo, we will ensure that you are supported through this change of service and that you continue to have access to your meals.

The feedback we receive from you will be considered by Barnet Council’s Adults and Safeguarding Committee in November 2015. After this date, we will contact you directly to let you know what has been decided. Thank you for your help. Yours sincerely,

Dawn Wakeling Adults and Health Commissioning Director, Director of Adult Social Services