Healthy Start (NHS)
If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to a Healthy Start card with money on it to buy healthy food and milk in some UK shops. Money is added to the card every 4 weeks.
Good to know
You apply online if you get Universal Credit and your family's monthly take-home pay is at or under the limit on the page, or by email or phone if you get Pension Credit. If you are under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you apply by email or phone and do not need a qualifying benefit. If your child is British and you cannot claim public funds because of your immigration status, you may still get Healthy Start if your family income is at or under the page's limit: email healthystartNRPF@nhsbsa.nhs.uk to ask for an application form. Your card comes by post within 10 working days of a successful application, or longer when the scheme is busy; for a child on Universal Credit, payments start once the child is verified on your claim, and that can take up to 8 weeks, so it is not same-day help. In Scotland, use Best Start Foods instead.
Before you call
Have ready
- your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number
- your baby's due date, if you are pregnant
- your Universal Credit statement: the details you use must match your Universal Credit claim
- if you are under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant: your baby's due date, a copy of an official document (birth certificate, passport, driving licence or immigration visa), your NHS number and your National Insurance number
They can
- take an online application if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, your family's monthly take-home pay is at or under the limit on the page, and you get Universal Credit
- take an application by email (healthy.start@nhsbsa.nhs.uk) or phone if you get Pension Credit, or if you are under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant
- send you an application form if you email healthystartNRPF@nhsbsa.nhs.uk, when your child is British and you cannot claim public funds because of your immigration status
- take calls from Relay text phone (18001 0300 330 7010), and take a request for an interpreter on the main line
- help with your card on a separate 24-hour line, 0118 338 5810: activate it, get your PIN, check your balance or report it lost
They cannot
- answer the main line outside Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, or on public holidays
- pay at once: payments start once your child has been verified and appears on your Universal Credit statement, which can take up to 8 weeks
- help if you live in Scotland: use Best Start Foods instead
In the emergency guides: I have no money for food →
- Phone
- 0300 330 7010
- Website
- https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/how-to-apply/
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except public holidays
- Coverage
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Languages
- English
- Best for
- Parents
- Last checked
- October 10, 2026
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Shared by FindAngel.org — free, always · https://findangel.org/resources/uk-healthy-start/