Case Study: Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust achieves £180,000 annual savings and 34% reduction in food costs with Civica's Saffron Bedside

Digital bedside ordering solution provides £180,00 annual cost saving

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust needed to modernise its patient catering after the Independent Review of NHS Hospital Food highlighted the need for digital ordering to manage diets, allergies, reduce waste and improve patient experience. The Trust engaged Civica to deploy Saffron Bedside, a tablet-based bedside ordering system to capture real-time patient choices and link them to care plans.

Civica’s Saffron Bedside, deployed in partnership with Sodexo and ward teams using 26 tablets, shortened order-to-service times, reduced unnecessary “just in case” meals and improved meal quality and accuracy. The Trust recorded a 34% reduction in total food costs, about a 50% cut in service time, roughly a 17% drop in meals served per mealtime and near‑instant annual savings of £180,000, alongside higher patient satisfaction.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Kim Beevers

Facilities Manager