Healthy Start
Healthy Start Prepaid Card Scheme
NHS Healthy Start Scheme can help you have a healthy, balanced diet while you’re pregnant. You could get help towards the cost of healthy food and milk, and free Healthy Start vitamins to support you through your pregnancy.
Who is eligible?
You could be eligible if you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant and claiming certain income related benefits.
If you’re under 18 and pregnant, you’re eligible for NHS Healthy Start, even if you don't claim any benefits.
Who is eligible?
You could be eligible if you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant and claiming certain income related benefits.
If you’re under 18 and pregnant, you’re eligible for NHS Healthy Start, even if you don't claim any benefits.
What do you get?
Once on the scheme, you’ll receive a prepaid card, which is topped up with payments every four weeks.
You’ll get £4.25 for each week of your pregnancy (after the 10th week of your pregnancy) to put towards the cost of fruit, vegetables, pulses and cow’s milk.
You can also collect free Healthy Start vitamins for women, which contain:
• folic acid
• vitamin C
• vitamin D
How to apply
Visit http://www.healthystart.nhs.uk to find out more and apply for NHS Healthy Start.
Applying online takes as little as five minutes and you could receive your prepaid card within 10 working days.
What next?
Once your baby is born, contact us to let us know. You could continue receiving payments for your child up to their fourth birthday, if you’re still eligible for the scheme.
Healthy Start Vitamins
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If you are enrolled on the Healthy Start prepaid card scheme as above, you will receive vitamins throughout your pregnancy for free. However, if you are not eligible for the scheme, access to free vitamins in pregnancy is dependent on which borough you live in.
Below are local boroughs to the Whittington where you can receive free vitamins irrespective of if you are enrolled to the scheme or not. Please click on the links to each borough to see where you can collect your vitamins:
Below are local boroughs to the Whittington where you can receive free vitamins irrespective of if you are enrolled to the scheme or not. Please click on the links to each borough to see where you can collect your vitamins:
- Hackney - Free Healthy Start Vitamins | HENRY
- Islington - Healthy Start | Islington Council
- Haringey - Healthy Start vitamins | Haringey Council
- Camden - Pregnancy support - Camden Council
- Brent - Healthy Start | Brent Council
Bengali video translation of Healthy Start Vitamins for Camden
Somali video translation of Healthy Start Vitamins for Camden
If you live in the below boroughs, vitamins will only be available if you are on the Healthy Start Scheme:
- Barnet
- Enfield – only available from your Health Visitor or Midwife
- Harrow
Last updated16 Jan 2026