The Healthy Start Scheme in Gloucestershire

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The Healthy Start Scheme

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 and you are getting benefits, you may be able to get help to buy healthy start food, milk and FREE vitamins. You also qualify if you are under 18 and pregnant, even if you don’t get any benefits.

This important scheme provides a pre-paid card to spend with local retailers and also gives you access to FREE vitamins. If you’re eligible, you'll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. They will add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks. Find out if you are eligible to get these benefits.

Apply for your Healthy Start Pre-Paid card by clicking here: How to apply – Get help to buy food and milk (Healthy Start)

You can use your card to buy:

• Plain liquid cow’s milk
• Fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
• Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
• Infant formula milk based on cow’s milk

You can also use your card to collect:

• Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old

Healthy Start Vitamins

Healthy Start Vitamins are recommended for pregnant women and children from birth and who are having less than 500ml (one pint) of infant formula a day.

• Healthy Start women’s vitamin tablets contain Folic Acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin D
• Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin D

Healthy Start vitamins are suitable for vegetarians and halal diets, and free from milk, egg, gluten, soya and peanut residues

How to get Healthy Start Vitamins in Gloucestershire

The Healthy Start Vitamins are distributed by the Children and Families Hub in Gloucestershire County Council.

Please follow the process below to order your Healthy Start Vitamins:

• Apply for your Healthy Start Card by clicking here: How to apply – Get help to buy food and milk (Healthy Start)
• Once you have received your card, take a photo of your Healthy Start Card
• Send the photo of your Healthy Start Card to  Healthystart@gloucestershire.gov.uk and detail which vitamins you need with your name and address to post the vitamins to
• You will then receive a confirmation email explaining that your email has been received
• Your Healthy Start Vitamins will then be sent in the post to you

Please note that no money is taken from your Healthy Start Card for the vitamins