Healthy Start Scheme
Lewisham Local and Good Food Lewisham have activley promoted The NHS Healthy Start Scheme, with the important goal of helping eligible Lewisham residents discover and apply for the Healthy Start card.
We focused our efforts on reaching the most disadvantaged areas in the borough, actively promoting the scheme through local stores, community organisations, printing and displaying large banners around the boroughs fruit and veg stalls, social supermarkets and children's play parks, and promoting through the Good Food Lewisham Business charter.
It's truly important for us to share this message far and wide because the Healthy Start scheme offers vital support, enabling some of the most vulnerable people in our borough to purchase essential food for them and their children to .
If you're interested in learning more about the Healthy Start scheme or would like to help support people with their applications, you can access our presentation below.
Healthy Start : Eligibility
If you're over 10 weeks pregnant or have kids under 4, you could get free healthy food and milk with the Healthy Start scheme!
You must be receiving any of the following:
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Child Tax Credit (only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
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Income Support
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Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
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Pension Credit (which includes the child addition)
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Universal Credit (only if your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
You will also be eligible for Healthy Start if:
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you’re under 18 and pregnant, even if you are not claiming any benefits
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you claim income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are over 10 weeks pregnant
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you or your partner get Working Tax Credit run-on only. (Working Tax Credit run-on is the Working Tax Credit you receive in the 4 weeks immediately after you have stopped working for 16 hours or more per week).
Healthy Start : Entitled
With your Healthy Start card, you can purchase:
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Plain cow’s milk (whole, semi-skimmed, or skimmed; pasteurised, sterilised, long-life, or UHT)
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Infant formula (must be cow’s milk-based and suitable from birth)
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Fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables (without added fat, salt, sugar, or flavourings)
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Fresh, dried, or tinned pulses (like lentils, beans, peas, and chickpeas, again without added extras)
Where You Can Shop
You can use the card in any store that accepts Mastercard, including:
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Local convenience stores
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Supermarkets (like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi)
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Some market stalls (if they accept card payments)
How It Works
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The card is a prepaid debit card.
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It’s topped up every 4 weeks with:
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£4.25/week during pregnancy (from the 10th week)
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£8.50/week for children under 1
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£4.25/week for children aged 1–4
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You don’t need to tell the cashier you’re using a Healthy Start card—just use it like a regular debit card
Resources
Click here to find where you can free Vitamin D in Lewisham if you:
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are pregnant
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gave birth in the last year
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and Children under 4 can also get FREE Vit D.
Available free and low cost meals, available in Lewisham.
We suggest calling spaces up before visiting - if possible.
Click here to check eligibility if your not a British Citizen but your child is. There is information on Lewisham Children's Family Centre.
Free digital drop-ins to help with any online form related services.
Find the nearest drop-in to get support with your Healthy Start form.
Information on places to go to if your going through financial difficulties. These are services in the borough, for a range of all different situations.
More information on the healthy start scheme.
