Lesser-known scheme could give parents free £1,348 | UK | News
Parents may be entitled to claim up to £1,348.50 through an NHS initiative that most people are completely unaware of.
If you are pregnant for more than 10 weeks or have a child under four, you may be eligible for help buying healthy food and milk through the NHS Healthy Start programme.
Those who qualify will receive a Healthy Start card filled with money that can be spent at participating stores. Funds are added to the card every four weeks.
Ready-made food, cow’s milk, fruits-vegetables and legumes can be purchased with the card. It can also be used to collect Healthy Start vitamins and vitamin drops for babies and toddlers.
You can apply for the program if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under the age of 4 and benefit from certain benefits.
However, if you are under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you may be able to claim even if you are not claiming any benefits.
How much can I get?
- £4.65 every week from week 10 of your pregnancy
- £9.30 per week for children from birth to 1 year
- £4.65 per week for children aged 1 to 4
If you claim for the entire term this totals £1,348.50.
The Healthy Start card cannot be used to get refunds or withdraw cash outside the UK online or via your phone’s Wallet app.
Your spending is limited to the available balance on your card.
Payments can be split between your Healthy Start card and your regular debit card or cash, although some retailers may need to process them as two separate transactions.
You can learn more Here
