Resources – Meals on Wheels UK

Our Meals on Wheels Resources

We have developed a variety of free resources for you to download, based on findings from our research projects, to raise awareness of Meals on Wheels in the UK.

When you register to download our free resources, you will be asked a few questions which will help us to understand who downloads our resources and how they are used. We thank you in advance for taking some time to support our work and follow this process.

‘A national analysis of Meals on Wheels service provision, predicted demand and unmet need (2026)’ national report

This report presents the first UK-wide analysis of Meals on Wheels service provision, predicted demand, and potential unmet need across all 374 local authority districts.

Combining a validated dataset of Meals on Wheels provision with national population indicators associated with likely need, the report identifies patterns of service availability, variation in provision, and areas where provision may not align with population demand.

The findings may support discussions relating to:

prevention and early intervention
ageing well and independent living
hospital discharge and community support
adult social care planning and commissioning
reducing inequalities in access to support

The report is intended for local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts, NHS organisations, commissioners, policymakers, researchers and policy organisations working in ageing, nutrition and social care, and Meals on Wheels providers interested in understanding the current landscape of Meals on Wheels provision across the UK.

The report can be accessed here.

Watch the launch webinar and discussion here.

The report aims to support more informed discussions about prevention, equitable access to community-based support, and the future role of Meals on Wheels within health and social care systems.

‘Meals on Wheels delivers better outcomes for recipients and carers’ policy briefing

Our new policy briefing from our NIHR SSCR-funded research highlights the association between using Meals on Wheels and social care outcomes for people who use the service and their carers.

You can access the policy briefing here.

Policy briefing 'Meals on Wheels delivers better outcomes for recipients and carers'

‘Discover Meals on Wheels UK’ graphic poster

This graphic poster (available in .pdf and jpeg. format) contains a QR code that directly links to the Meals on Wheels UK website. The poster can be printed out to help practitioners (e.g. social workers or needs assessment teams) signpost someone to a Meals on Wheels service using offline mediums, for example, when they carry out needs assessments in people’s homes.

The poster can also be used by organisations wishing to signpost to the Meals on Wheels UK website from their own websites.

This resource can be accessed here.

‘Meals on Wheels – is this for you?’ infographic

This infographic can be used by healthcare professionals (e.g. general practitioners, hospital discharge and enablement teams, district nurses), social and community carers and workers, principal social workers and anyone considering referring an adult with care and support needs to Meals on Wheels, as a resource to inform referral decisions to Meals on Wheels services.

Meals on Wheels providers can also use this infographic on their website and other publicity materials, to raise awareness of their service and help anyone considering commencing the service make an informed decision. Different versions of this infographic are available to reflect the context of each UK nation. Also available in Welsh.

This resource can be accessed here.

Preview thumbnail of the 'Is this for you?' infographic

‘The significance of Meals on Wheels’ infographic

This infographic highlights the wider benefits of Meals on Wheels services. This resource can be used by Meals on Wheels providers when they seek funding for the continuation or enhancement of their services, but also as a resource to raise awareness of the service’s benefits on their websites and publicity materials. It can also be used by commissioners and policymakers as a resource to inform decisions about reintroducing, continuing to fund, or enhancing, Meals on Wheels services. Also available in Welsh.

This resource can be accessed here.

Preview thumbnail of the 'Significance of Meals on Wheels?' infographic

‘Meals on Wheels: awareness-raising of the service and its benefits is needed to aid prevention in Adult Social Care’ policy briefing

This policy briefing presents key findings, and policy recommendations, arising from our research.

This resource can be accessed here.

Preview thumbnail of the 'Policy Briefing' infographic

Benefits of Meals on Wheels – a film made by University of Bristol’s School for Policy Studies

Short version of 2 minutes, Welsh subtitles available

Long version of 7 minutes, Welsh subtitles available

Why we research Meals on Wheels

The social care system in the UK is facing immense financial pressures, and carers employed through social care agencies are not always allocated enough time to cook a nutritious meal. At the same time, the Care Act 2014 (and similar legislations in devolved nations) legislates the need for services that ‘help prevent people developing needs for care and support, or delay people deteriorating such that they would need ongoing care and support‘.

Despite the preventive role that Meals on Wheels could have, the service is not statutory. Many councils have stopped providing Meals on Wheels due to budget cuts. Providers from the non-profit and private sectors also face financial challenges given recent increases in the cost of food, fuel and wages. The lack of Meals on Wheels services could lead to high numbers of adults moving into care homes, thus increasing pressures within the social care system.

A photograph of a care worker placing a meal in front of an elderly lady

A photograph of a careworker presenting a meal to a gentleman

Our research wants to understand the role that Meals on Wheels has in social care in the UK, and how the service could help improve social care delivery in the future. We also want to investigate the wider benefits of using Meals on Wheels and the challenges faced by Meals on Wheels providers and commissioners of the service.

Our collaborative projects use a variety of methods, and our findings have been published in various academic journals. We regularly present our work at both academic conferences (e.g. British Society of Gerontology) and professional meetings (e.g. National Association of Care Catering). We support, and participate in, the National Meals on Wheels Week. You can view the workshop we organised for Meals on Wheels Week 2023 here.

We hope that our work can help raise awareness of Meals on Wheels in the UK, so that more adults with care and support needs can benefit from the service.

Our Meals on Wheels projects

You can find details of our research projects and scientific publications below

Exploring the role of Meals on Wheels in social care: a mixed-method study of service provision, use, and operation
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, School for Social Care Research, February 2025-August 2027

This project will explore how Meals on Wheels have been provided, used, and funded in England over time. It combines analysis of national data with case study research among 10 different services to understand who uses Meals on Wheels, what benefits the service brings, and how it is run. Findings will inform practical guidance to help providers sustain and expand their Meals on Wheels services, supporting more people to continue living independently at home for longer.

A young adult delivering a bag of groceries to a senior adult woman

Mapping Meals on Wheels provision: developing and testing an interactive map to raise awareness of services
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council Impact Accelerator Account, project A100505, May-October 2024

This project aimed to develop an interactive map of Meals on Wheels providers in the UK. The map will signpost users to Meals on Wheels providers delivering to their area, after having typed a postcode or street address, and will help identify gaps in Meals on Wheels provision. The outcome from this project is the website you’re currently visiting.

A photograph of a couple reviewing the Meals on Wheels UK website

Photo courtesy Ageing Better

Models of Meals on Wheels provision in England: a rapid review
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research; NHS Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board Research Capability Funding, May-July 2023

This study conducted desktop research (publicly available online information) to identify and document the Meals on Wheels services currently being provided in England, alongside basic characteristics of provision. This work was expanded to document provision in the other UK nations, and informed the interactive map of Meals on Wheels providers that you can find in this website.

A photograph showing a selection of meals

The significance of home-delivered meals among Meals on Wheels service users and their referrers: co-producing knowledge translation tools to add value to qualitative findings
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, School for Social Care Research, May-July 2023

This project used findings from our earlier qualitative study to co-produce, with people with lived experience of Meals on Wheels, two infographics and a film to raise awareness of Meals on Wheels and their benefits.

View publication: Papadaki A, Willis P, Armstrong MEG, Cameron A (2024) From research to knowledge translation: co-producing resources to raise awareness of Meals on Wheels in England. Health Expectations 27:e14106

An image showing thumbnails of the infographics

Exploring the significance of home-delivered meals among Meals on Wheels service users and their referrers: a qualitative study
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, School for Social Care Research, March-June 2022

This project explored the experiences with Meals on Wheels of service users and people who refer them to Meals on Wheels, and their perceptions with accessing and commencing the service in England, the barriers that might hinder service uptake, and what information would be valued when considering accessing the service.

View publication: Papadaki A, Wakeham M, Ali B, Armstrong MEG, Cameron A, Willis P (2023) “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 23.

View publication: Papadaki A, Wakeham M, Ali B, Armstrong MEG, Willis P, Cameron A (2024) Accessing Meals on Wheels: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of service users and people who refer them to the service. Health Expectations 27: e13943

A photograph of a woman waiting for her meal

Photo courtesy Ageing Better

Exploring the experiences of community service providers delivering meals to self-isolating adults during COVID-19
Funded by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, Wellcome Trust, September-December 2020

This project explored Meals on Wheels service providers’ experiences, and their perceptions around the benefits and challenges faced by the service, and how these experiences changed during the first UK national lockdown.

View publication: Papadaki A, Ali B, Cameron A, Armstrong MEG, Isaacs P, Thomas KS, Gadbois EA, 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: e2012-e2021.

A photograph of a woman who's opened her door

Photo courtesy Ageing Better

Additional Resources

Whenever possible, we share our work via blogs, webinars, news items and articles

Blog

A journey into researching Meals on Wheels: from lack of awareness to building the evidence to influence national policy – 2023. Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN).

Original blog

Webinar

Meals on Wheels: raising awareness of the service and its benefits – 2023. National Association for Care Catering (NACC) Meals on Wheels week

Article | Youtube

Article

The importance of securing the future of Meals on Wheels – 2022. APSE Direct magazine, Association for Public Service Excellence

Original post

News Item

New insights on the benefits of meals on wheels and current challenges for services – 2021. Sustain

Original post

News item

The benefits and challenges of Meals on Wheels during COVID-19 – 2021. Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, University of Bristol

Original post

Written Evidence

Meals on Wheels should be supported by the Government to ensure the wellbeing of older adults during lockdown – 2021. Written evidence submitted to the Public Accounts Committee enquiry on COVID-19: Supporting the vulnerable during lockdown

Original post

Comment & Analysis

Tackling COVID-19: Angeliki Papadaki – 2021. School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol

Original post