The NHS Healthy Start scheme helps families and pregnant people on low incomes to get healthy food, milk and vitamins.
Your role
Healthcare professionals play an important part in promoting the NHS Healthy Start scheme. You can tell eligible people about the NHS Healthy Start online application and promote the free Healthy Start vitamins.
When people learn about NHS Healthy Start from a healthcare professional, they’re more likely to understand the scheme and make better use of it. This is because healthcare professionals can explain the health benefits of the scheme.
Appointments and social care assessments are ideal opportunities to promote the Healthy Start scheme.
Learn more about how the scheme works in our guide for health professionals, local authorities and supporting organisations.
You can email any questions about the scheme to healthystartdigital@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Promoting the scheme
You can download our promotional materials to help you promote the NHS Healthy Start scheme.
If you have any questions about the promotional materials, you can email communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Sign up to receive updates about NHS Healthy Start.
Claiming reimbursement for Healthy Start vitamins
If you’re responsible for distributing Healthy Start vitamins, you’ll need to complete a vitamin return form. The Healthy Start vitamin return form that you submit each quarter can accept a digital signature on the PDF. If you’re unable to open the PDF, you can print the form and fill it in by hand. Once you’ve filled the form in, you can scan the form and email it to us at hsvitaminreturns@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
Deadlines can’t be extended, but you can submit your return later in the year. We can process it in any quarter.
Find out about how to become a Healthy Start vitamins distributor in our guide.
NHS Healthy Start scheme data
Data for September 2026
In September, 346,965 people were on the digital Healthy Start scheme across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scheme data is published at country and local authority level.
England scheme data (Excel: 570KB)
Wales scheme data (Excel: 266KB)
Northern Ireland scheme data (Excel: 247KB)
The figures in the data reflect the number of people on the digital scheme at a specific point in time. These figures include the number of children under the age of 4 and the number of pregnancies over 10 weeks.
The data relates to the individual the benefit is meant for. This is not the same as the number of families or households, as more than one beneficiary can live in the same household.
You should read the correction notice and data limitations on this page before using this data. If you have any questions, contact healthystartdigital@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.