Thousands of families are being urged to check whether they can get NHS help towards the cost of food, milk and baby formula.
A BBC report published on 20 September 2026 highlighted how thousands of eligible families in the North East and Cumbria had previously missed out on Healthy Start support.
The latest reliable local uptake figures cited in the report are from 2022. They showed take-up as low as 64% in some areas, with 6,149 eligible families across the region not enrolled in the scheme.
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The NHS Business Services Authority says there has been a problem with the data used to calculate eligibility and uptake since January 2023. It has removed those figures and says previously published eligibility numbers and uptake percentages from that period should not be used.
So we cannot say exactly how many families across the UK are missing out today.
What we do know is that Healthy Start is still available — and for families who qualify it can provide up to £9.30 a week per child towards essential food.
How much do you get with Healthy Start?
Money is added automatically to a Healthy Start card every four weeks.
The current rates are:
- £4.65 a week from the 10th week of pregnancy
- £9.30 a week for each child from birth until their first birthday
- £4.65 a week for each child aged between one and four
That means a family with a baby under one could receive £37.20 every four weeks.
People on the scheme can also get free Healthy Start vitamins.
You can see the current payment rates on the official NHS Healthy Start website.
The latest NHS data shows 347,127 people were on the digital Healthy Start scheme across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in August 2026.
That figure counts individual children and pregnancies rather than families or households.
Who can get Healthy Start?
Healthy Start is aimed at people who are more than 10 weeks pregnant or responsible for a child under four and meet the qualifying rules.
If you receive Universal Credit, you can apply online if:
- you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under four; and
- your family’s monthly take-home pay from employment is £408 or less.
If you’re under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you can qualify even if you don’t receive benefits.
There are also application routes for people receiving certain other qualifying benefits.
Rather than assuming you won’t qualify, I’d check the latest rules directly on the NHS Healthy Start application page.
What can you buy with a Healthy Start card?
The card can be used towards certain healthy foods, including:
- plain cow’s milk
- fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables
- fresh, dried and tinned pulses such as beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils
- cow’s-milk-based infant formula that’s suitable from birth
There are restrictions.
For example, you cannot use Healthy Start money for plant-based milk, follow-on formula, smoothies or fruit in syrup.
The NHS has a full list of what you can and cannot buy.
If you have a baby at home, it’s also worth checking the new baby sleeping bag safety alert, which warns parents not to use sleeping bags with hoods or no armholes for unsupervised sleep.
Can you use a Healthy Start card for your whole food shop?
This is one area that can cause confusion.
It’s easy to assume the card will automatically reject anything that isn’t eligible, but that isn’t how the scheme works.
The NHS explains that retailers are not responsible for checking every item someone buys with the card. It is the cardholder’s responsibility to use Healthy Start money only for eligible products.
So the fact a payment goes through does not mean everything in the basket is allowed.
For example, if you had £8 of qualifying milk and vegetables alongside other groceries or toiletries, you should use the Healthy Start card for the eligible £8 and another payment method for the rest.
The NHS also says card use is routinely monitored, and suspected misuse can result in transactions being investigated or payments being stopped.
You also cannot currently use the Healthy Start card for online shopping.
How do you apply for Healthy Start?
If you receive Universal Credit and meet the online eligibility rules, you can apply through the NHS Healthy Start website.
You’ll normally need details including your:
- name
- address
- date of birth
- National Insurance number
- baby’s due date if you’re pregnant
- Universal Credit statement
The details you enter need to match those held on your Universal Credit claim.
You can check the current rules and apply for Healthy Start here.
What if you live in Scotland?
Healthy Start operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Scotland has a separate scheme called Best Start Foods.
Best Start Foods currently pays:
- £22.40 every four weeks during pregnancy
- £44.80 every four weeks for each child under one
- £22.40 every four weeks for each child aged between one and three
You can find out more on the Scottish Government’s Best Start Foods page.
It’s worth checking
We don’t currently have reliable nationwide figures showing exactly how many eligible families are missing out on Healthy Start.
But the latest reliable local figures show that thousands were previously going without support they were entitled to.
And for a family already trying to stretch the food budget, £4.65 or £9.30 a week is still money that doesn’t have to come from somewhere else.
If you’re pregnant or have a child under four, it’s worth spending a few minutes checking whether you qualify.
