The research team, led by Dr Angeliki Papadaki, has developed a comprehensive interactive map to enable users to easily find Meals on Wheels providers that deliver to their address.
Meals on Wheels services provide meals alongside care within the home and important social contact, and are provided by councils, other local organisations, and local and national private providers. These services can be vital lifelines for adults with support needs, including older adults, adults with disabilities and those with poor physical and mental health, who have difficulty accessing and preparing food.
In the UK, these Meals on Wheels services tend to be provided on a local, regional or national scale by hundreds of different providers, rather than overseen by a central national organisation.
Dr Papadaki, an Associate Professor in Public Health Nutrition, identified that, remarkably, there has been no central information list of Meals on Wheels services across the UK until now.
She and her research team have painstakingly carried out research since 2021, gathering contact details and the service characteristics of Meals on Wheels providers across all four nations of the UK to develop the new interactive map.
The map will be hosted on the new Meals on Wheels UK website, which will serve as a focal point for anyone wanting to find out more about Meals on Wheels services in the UK.
It is hoped the map will provide an invaluable resource for people with older and vulnerable relatives and friends who may benefit from Meals on Wheels services, but also for professionals working in healthcare, such as general practitioners, hospital discharge and reablement teams, as well as social service and care needs assessment teams.
The map could help Meals on Wheels providers connect with each other and reach more people in need of their service, and local governments to make informed decisions about their services. It can also help identify places where there are potential gaps in provision of Meals on Wheels.
Previous research by Dr Papadaki and her team found qualitative evidence that many people who could have potentially benefited from knowledge of Meals on Wheels services may have found it difficult to find relevant information online.
Dr Papadaki said: “I am delighted we have been able to launch the new Meals on Wheels UK website and interactive map. This is an important preventative social care service that can help people continue living independently in their homes for longer. Through this powerful new map, we look forward to improving access to Meals on Wheels services among communities in need. As a result, we believe this will relieve pressures on social care systems across all four UK nations.”