Exploring the role of Meals on Wheels in social care

Meals on Wheels provide meals and social contact to adults who cannot leave their home to get food or prepare their own meals. More than 15 million adults in England could benefit from Meals on Wheels. This includes older people, disabled people, and/or people with long-term health problems. Meals on Wheels is not a service that councils have to provide, and many providers have closed their service due to budget cuts or the cost-of-living crisis. The lack of Meals on Wheels could lead to people moving into care homes when they might otherwise be able to stay at home.
 

The research team have already developed Meals on Wheels UK – a unique and free to use website where visitors can search a comprehensive database of Meals on Wheels providers and find information and resources relating to Meals on Wheels.

• Aims

  To support discussions about how Meals on Wheels could help improve social care delivery in England, this project aims to find out:

  1. How has the service been provided and used, and how much does this cost, over time, in England?
  2. Who uses Meals on Wheels?
  3. What are the benefits of Meals on Wheels to service recipients and their carers? 
  4. How do different Meals on Wheels providers run their services?

   

• Methods

  We will answer the first three research questions by analysing publicly available English data. For the fourth question, we will visit 10 different Meals on Wheels providers from councils, charities and the private sector, including providers that deliver meals to minority communities. We will interview different people in each Meals on Wheels site, including managers, people who use the service and their carers, and people who fund the service. We will ask questions about:

  • Who makes decisions, and how, on how Meals on Wheels run. 
  • How much it costs providers to run the service and what the cost is for people who use the service.
  • How people find out about Meals on Wheels and their experiences of using them.
  • The challenges that providers face.

  Six people with lived experience of Meals on Wheels helped us develop this research. This group will continue supporting us throughout the project. They will advise us on key tasks and how to share our findings to reach different audiences.
   

• Outputs and resources

  POLICY BRIEF: Meals on Wheels delivers better outcomes for recipients and carers

  When the project ends, we will have a clearer picture of the past and current role of Meals on Wheels in social care in England. We will also know more about good practices that help services run. We will share findings with service providers, Meals on Wheels recipients, people who fund Meals on Wheels and people who make decisions about social care. Together, we will produce guidelines to help Meals on Wheels providers continue running their services. This could support more councils to provide Meals on Wheels, and more people to access the service and continue living in their own homes for longer.  

   

• Previous study (completed in SSCR phase 3) - findings and resources

  Exploring the significance of home-delivered meals among clients of the Meals on Wheels service: a qualitative study

  Project Findings Report

  This scoping work (completed between 01/01/2022 and 30/04/2024) built on a small study that explored the significance of the Meals on Wheels service in the light of service providers’ perspectives. The scoping work involved carrying out a qualitative research study that informed the development of the follow-on, full proposal to NIHR SSCR which has led to the funded project ‘Exploring the role of Meals on Wheels in social care: A mixed-method study of service provision, use, and operation’.

  Launched in late 2024, Meals on Wheels UK, is working to improve food provision for older and vulnerable adults across the country. With a focus on collaboration between care providers, practitioners, and researchers, the website aims to strengthen access to nutritious, high-quality meals for those who need them most. Supported by NIHR SSCR funding, Meals on Wheels UK brings together evidence-based research and real-world practice to enhance meal services across the UK. A key part of the initiative is a map of providers, which will help identify and study different approaches to meal provision. This research will provide valuable insights into what works best in supporting people’s nutritional needs and overall well-being.

  The Meals on Wheels UK website offers a range of resources for care providers, local authorities, and community organisations. The platform serves as a hub for sharing best practices, case studies, and innovative approaches to meal delivery in social care. By bringing together expertise from different sectors, Meals on Wheels UK is helping to shape a more sustainable and effective approach to food provision—ensuring that vulnerable adults receive the support they need to maintain a healthy and fulfilling life.

  Publications

  • Papadaki, A., Willis, P., Armstrong, M. E. G., & Cameron, A. (2024). From Research to Knowledge Translation: Co-Producing Resources to Raise Awareness of Meals on Wheels in England. Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 27(3), e14106. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.14106
  • Papadaki, Angeliki, Wakeham, Mary, Ali, Becky, Elaine Glynis Armstrong, Miranda, Cameron, Ailsa, Willis, Paul, “The Service, I Could Not Do without It…”: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Significance of Meals on Wheels among Service Users and People Who Refer Them to the Service, Health & Social Care in the Community, 2023, 6054895, 11 pages, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6054895
  • Papadaki, A., Ali, B., Cameron, A., Armstrong, M. E. G., Isaacs, P., Thomas, K. S., Gadbois, E. A., & Willis, P. (2022). ‘It’s not just about the dinner; it’s about everything else that we do’: A qualitative study exploring how Meals on Wheels meet the needs of self-isolating adults during COVID-19. Health & social care in the community, 30(5), e2012–e2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13634