Using local food could save the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds, a hospital trust has claimed.

The body that runs Nottingham City Hospital said it had saved £2.50 per meal for patients by switching to food sourced locally – amounting to a saving of £6m a year.

Trust manager John Hughes claimed the NHS could save up to £400m a year by following the farm-to-plate scheme.

"It doesn't cost any more and you are actually going to invest in local communities and the local suppliers you want to develop,” he told the BBC. “On top of that it's going to save the NHS millions of pounds a year."

Around 90% of the fresh food the trust gives to patients comes from the East Midlands area.