Vitamins
Pregnant women, women with a child under 12 months and children aged from six months to four years who are receiving Healthy Start vouchers are entitled to free Healthy Start vitamins. It is the statutory responsibility of the local trust or board to make these available.
Healthy Start vitamins contain the appropriate amount of recommended vitamins A, C and D for children aged from six months to four years, and folic acid and vitamins C and D for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Healthy Start vitamins are important because:
- 8% of children under five in the UK don’t have enough vitamin A in their diet¹
- families in lower-income groups tend to have less vitamin C in their diet¹
- all pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children are at risk of vitamin D deficiency² (teenagers, younger women and those from ethnic minorities are particularly at risk).
Two bespoke Healthy Start branded products are available:
- Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops (containing vitamins A, C and D)
- Healthy Start vitamins for women (containing folic acid and vitamins C and D).
Every eight weeks beneficiaries are sent a green vitamin coupon, which they can swap for either Healthy Start women’s vitamin tablets or Healthy Start children’s drops locally.
Healthcare professionals should discuss the importance of vitamin supplements with beneficiaries and advise them where they can swap their green vitamin coupons locally.
To find out how we advise beneficiaries to get vitamins locally click here.
Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops
Children receiving Healthy Start vouchers qualify for free vitamin supplements from six months old until their fourth birthday. The daily dose of five drops contains:
- 233 micrograms of vitamin A
- 20 milligrams of vitamin C
- 7.5 micrograms of vitamin D3.
Children who are having 500ml or more of formula a day do not need Healthy Start vitamins.
The vitamins are suitable for vegetarians and free from milk, egg, gluten, soya and peanut residues, and have a shelf life of 10 months from manufacture. They come in 10ml bottles, each of which contains just over 56 daily doses. Beneficiaries are entitled to one bottle every eight weeks.
Trusts and health boards can sell them to non-beneficiaries for the following prices (which are inclusive of VAT). In Northern Ireland, Healthy Start vitamins are available to beneficiaries only and are not currently for sale to non-beneficiaries.
- In England and Wales: £1.80 per bottle
- In Scotland: £2.31 per bottle.
Babies under six months old
Children over six months old getting Healthy Start vouchers are legally entitled to free vitamin supplements. However, in certain circumstances vitamin supplements may be provided to infants under six months old getting Healthy Start vouchers, if healthcare professionals consider that their vitamin stores are likely to be low and that the supplements would benefit them.
Healthy Start women’s vitamin tablets
The daily dose is one tablet, which contains:
- 70 milligrams of vitamin C
- 10 micrograms of vitamin D
- 400 micrograms of folic acid.
They are suitable for vegetarians and free from milk, egg, gluten, soya and peanut residues. The shelf life is two years from manufacture. Beneficiaries are entitled to one bottle of 56 tablets every eight weeks.
Trusts and health boards can sell them for the following prices (which are inclusive of VAT). In Northern Ireland, Healthy Start vitamins are available to beneficiaries only and are not currently for sale to non-beneficiaries.
- In England and Wales: £0.91 per bottle
- In Scotland: £1.25 per bottle.
The regulations allowing this in England and Wales are the Sale of Goods for Mothers and Children (Designation and Charging) Regulations 1976. In Scotland the regulation is the National Health Service (Supply of Goods at Clinics etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 1976.
Ordering Healthy Start vitamin supplements
Arrangements for ordering Health Start vitamin supplements vary from country to country:
- In England, NHS trusts order from NHS Supply Chain.
- In Wales, health boards order from Welsh Health Supplies or NHS Supply Chain – as applicable.
- In Scotland, health boards order from TPS Scotland.
- In Northern Ireland only, as part of the interim arrangement, the Business Services Organisation (BSO) purchases vitamins on a regional basis on behalf of the DHSSPS and the HSC Trusts from NHS Supply Chain for onward postal distribution directly to beneficiaries. Health professionals should advise beneficiaries asking where to get get the Healthy Start vitamins to send their Healthy Start letter, with the green vitamin coupon still attached, to the following address:
Business Services Organisation
Healthy Start Vitamin Scheme
Pinewood Villa
73 Loughgall Road
Armagh
BT61 7PR
BSO will post the Healthy Start vitamins directly to beneficiaries on receipt of their Healthy Start letter with the green vitamin coupon.
Note:We need the full letter with the address to enable BSO to post the vitamins direct to the beneficiary.
Reclaiming the cost of vitamin supplements issued free to Healthy Start beneficiaries
In England: NHS trusts should record the number of bottles issued on an HSVR form. Your finance department should send this form, together with an invoice, to hsvitaminreturns@dh.gsi.gov.uk. HSVR forms are issued to contacts quarterly. For more information, please see leaflet, ‘Help pregnant women, new mothers and children get their free Healthy Start vitamins’.
In Wales: Health boards should record the number of bottles issued on a WF6 form. Your finance department should send this form, together with an invoice, to Jasmine Hagger, Welsh Assembly, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ. WF6 forms are issued quarterly.
In Scotland: Health boards should record the number of bottles issued on a Healthy Start Vitamin Reimbursement Form and send it to catherine.harte@scotland.gsi.gov.uk. Forms are issued to contacts quarterly for completion.
In Northern Ireland: As an interim arrangement the Business Services Organisation (BSO) purchases vitamins on a regional basis on behalf of the DHSSPS and the HSC trusts.
¹Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2008) The Nutritional Wellbeing of the British Population. London: TSO.
²Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2007) Update on Vitamin D. London: TSO.
