19 million people were asked to shield or stay at home during the first national UK lockdown. Many of these might not have had access to food nor ability to prepare meals. Sustain, the Alliance for better food and farming, report increased demand for Meals on Wheels throughout the UK.
At the same time, the National Association of Care Catering (NACC), report that Councils providing a Meals on Wheels service decreased to 42% in 2018 - a drop of 24% since 2014.
The average cost of a two-course lunchtime meal in 2018 was £3.60 - that's £25.20 per week, compared to a UK average of £600 per week for residential and >£800 per week for nursing care - suggesting that Meals on Wheels help people stay independent, in their homes, for less.
“The increased Meals on Wheels demand during COVID-19 was bound to have an impact on local authorities,” said the study’s Principal Investigator, Dr Angeliki Papadaki, “so, we interviewed service providers to explore the benefits and challenges of the service, particularly during the first UK national lockdown.”
The research found that Meals on Wheels is more than just a food delivery service. Drivers encourage clients to be physically active, conduct welfare checks, identify and address isolation and loneliness. The service also helps to promote independence and rehabilitation following hospital discharge.
And Meals on Wheels benefit service providers themselves. There was overwhelmingly a sense of pride for giving back to the community and the reciprocal relationships developed with clients were immensely rewarding.
‘It’s not just about the dinner; it’s about everything else that we do.’
Dr Papadaki continued: “The service essentially acts as first responders to emergency situations and works collaboratively with social services, police, fire brigade and emergency medical departments to ensure clients' wellbeing. They keep on working 'come weather, come illness, come pandemic’.
“It relieves pressures on families and carers, who might not have been able to bring food to their loved ones due to travel restrictions during lockdown. They delay the need for residential care by keeping clients independent and in their own homes for longer.”
The role of Meals on Wheels was crucial to ensure clients' wellbeing during lockdown. For some clients, Meals on Wheels drivers were the only person they saw on any given day (and that is often the case irrespective of COVID-19).
Meals on Wheels faced an unprecedented demand during lockdown. Although the service went above and beyond, there were ongoing concerns, during the first lockdown, about sourcing sufficient food, limited human resources and uncertainty about how the service would cope while the pandemic continues.
These concerns, Dr Papadaki explains, are particularly important seeing that Meals on Wheels are suffering budget cuts and closures, nationally and globally. “What we found suggests that Central Government needs to protect and financially support local authorities to continue offering Meals on Wheels. This will be an indispensable measure to ensure older adults, and those in need of care and support, are protected, not only during the pandemic but beyond.”
This work was supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute through the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund, and was a collaboration between the Bristol University’s School for Policy Studies, and the Centre for Gerontology and Healthcare Research at the Brown University School of Public Health.