A custom-built digital platform has replaced paperwork, streamlined compliance and improved resident choice across Regis Aged Care's national network. Bryan Seeborun, National Food Safety Manager, Catering & Product Innovation, explains how they did it.
A national shift from paper to digital
When Regis Aged Care set out to replace its paper-based food service systems across more than 8,000 residents nationally, the brief was simple: digitise every menu, every order and every food safety record. Bryan Seeborun led the rollout, which took roughly six months to deploy. As it was a staged rollout across the country, some homes are approaching their one-year anniversary on the system while others are still fully implementing it.
Residents now place orders on iPads, menus with images appear on dining room TVs, and chefs work from live resident profiles.
"Everybody can order through an iPad, and all my food safety information is on the iPad as well," Bryan says.
Clinical data and safety
Visibility into resident profiles acts as a clinical safety net for chefs. Allergens, texture-modified food needs, likes and dislikes are used to refine the range of choice for each individual. Residents only see what they are able to eat, so there is no chance of them ordering a meal that conflicts with their allergens or IDDSI levels.
"It's a safer, and more reliable system," Bryan says.
The platform also integrates with Regis's clinical software, so when a dietitian or speech pathologist updates a resident's texture-modified diet or nutritional plan, the change flows straight to the kitchen in real time.
"If the dietitian is assessing somebody at 12, by 12.05 this will have changed on our system already."
Data-driven menu design
Real-time data has reshaped procurement and menu design. Bryan can see what each home is ordering, which dishes are popular, and where regional preferences emerge. For example, Queensland's appetite for chicken looks different from Victoria's. While a national menu remains the foundation, chefs can tailor meal choices to a home's demographics, cultural makeup, as well as food-focus feedback in real time. A new conversation with residents.
The system has also redefined the relationship between staff and residents. Staff sit alongside residents, walking through meal descriptions and photographs together. Choice and engagement have increased; assumption has been replaced by data the kitchen can use to forecast. For non-verbal residents, the visual aids mean the menu selection is accessible and easy to understand for everyone.
Savings on the plate, not in the budget
Crucially, the cost savings are not about cutting manual paperwork and the time associated with that. Savings have been reinvested into the plate.
"It's not about saving costs by cutting paperwork," Bryan says. "It's about what we've optimised. Those savings go back to food quality."
In practice, that has meant higher-quality proteins, more menu items and more cost-effective procurement.
Aligned with Standard 6
The rollout dovetails neatly with the new Aged Care Quality Standards, particularly Standard 6, where flexibility, choice and resident voice are paramount. Residents can preview meals, change their minds, and have preferences respected. Everything is recorded in the system, which means reports and evidence can be produced from one central system, making audits both time- and cost-effective while providing comprehensive and specific data.
Advice for other providers
Asked what advice he'd offer providers eyeing a similar transformation, Bryan returns to two themes: process and training.
"If you don't have a good process, it's hard to digitise. Fix the process first, then digitise it."
Regis built a support model: champions in every home, state-based subject matter experts, head-office leads and vendor backup - all of which Bryan credits as the reason the adoption stuck. "Good training, good outcome."
Looking ahead
For Bryan, the bigger shift is philosophical. "Technology is helping us move from reactive operations to proactive care and compliance," he says. "The future of aged care food service is connected, data-driven, safer, and resident-focused."
Disclaimer: The content of this article is created for inspiration purposes only. It is not intended as clinical, medical or nutritional advice.
