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Do you qualify for Healthy Start vitamins? Here's where to get them!

16 November 2010

NHS Norfolk is pleased to publish a list of distribution points for free Healthy Start vitamins on its website at www.norfolk.nhs.uk

It is urging all women, who are eligible, to claim them for themselves and their children.

Healthy Start is a government scheme that provides vouchers that can be spent on fresh fruit, vegetables and milk in many supermarkets and local shops. The scheme also provides coupons which can be exchanged for women’s and children’s vitamins with the NHS locally.

Healthy Start is designed to help give children the best nutritional start in life by making healthy eating more affordable and providing the essential vitamins needed by mums and babies.

Deborah Garrod, NHS Norfolk's Maternal, Infant Nutrition and Breastfeeding Co-ordinator, said: "This is a statutory scheme that is planned to continue. The take-up of the scheme and use of the fruit and vegetable vouchers is excellent in Norfolk and currently 79% of eligible families have signed up.

"Norfolk is currently top in the East of England with the take-up of women’s vitamins at 6.4%, and second with children’s vitamins at 4.4%, but we hope that by publishing this list of distribution points, it will be easier for eligible women to come forward and claim what is due to them."

She added: "There is lots of good work being done by healthcare professionals and colleagues throughout our area. With new distribution centres now on board this situation should greatly improve, and we are keen for other (potential) distribution centres to contact us."

Some of the new distribution centres include children's centres and GP practices, and further details can be found on the NHS Norfolk website. Any health and services providers wanting to help families access Healthy Start by becoming a distribution centre for vitamins should call Deborah Garrod on 01603 257267 or email deborah.garrod@norfolk.nhs.uk

The Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops contain vitamins A,C and D, and the vitamin tablets for mums contain vitamins C, D and folic acid.

You qualify for Healthy Start if you're at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old AND you or your family get:

Income support, or
Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance, or
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit unless your family is receiving Working Tax Credit run-on only*) AND an annual family income of £16,190 or less in 2010/2011.

You also qualify if you are under 18 and pregnant, even if you don't get any of the above benefits or tax credits.

Jonathan Williams, Assistant Director of Public Health at NHS Norfolk, said: “Healthy Start is an important scheme. The vouchers can really help women with the costs of eating a healthy balanced diet in pregnancy and we are very keen to encourage first-time pregnant women who might not yet be aware of the scheme to sign up.

“Good nutrition, ideally supported by breastfeeding, is one of the key factors in a child’s healthy development."

Anyone interested in registering for Healthy Start should ask their midwife, health visitor or GP for an application form or download or request one from the Healthy Start website www.healthystart.nhs.uk/

Alternatively, call Healthy Start to request one on 0845 607 6823.

If women apply for the Healthy Start scheme as soon as they’re 10 weeks pregnant, they could get up to £93 in food vouchers during their pregnancy.

For a baby’s first year they could receive up to £322 in vouchers and children over one and under four years old could get more than £161 in vouchers for each full year they are on the scheme.

Deborah Garrod added: “The Healthy Start scheme is particularly useful to families as the Health in Pregnancy Grant (HiPG) will end next year.

“Women who reach their 25th week of pregnancy on or after the 1st January 2011 will not be eligible for the HiPG payment. Therefore, we would urge all woman, who feel they may be eligible, to find out more about the Healthy Start scheme."

To see the list of distribution points in NHS Norfolk's area, visit the website at www.norfolk.nhs.uk/parenting-and-pregnancy-0

For more information about the Healthy Start scheme, please visit www.healthystart.nhs.uk/

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