Thousands of low-income families are reportedly missing out on NHS Healthy Start payments designed to help them buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk. Charities are highlighting that as few as 64% of eligible families are claiming this money in some parts of the North East and Cumbria.
The NHS Healthy Start scheme provides weekly payments to families earning less than £400 a week. Pregnant women and those with children under four years old are entitled to £4.65 a week, while families with a baby under 12 months old can claim £9.30 a week.
According to 2022 NHS figures, take-up varied across the region. Redcar and Cleveland Council had the highest enrolment at 87%, while the former Eden Council area saw only 64% of eligible families enrolled. In Sunderland and Stockton, 81% of eligible families were enrolled, but this dropped to 77% in Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Overall, this meant 6,149 eligible families in the region were missing out.
Charities, including Feeding Britain, Sustain, and The Food Foundation, are calling for updates to the scheme. They suggest auto-enrolment for eligible families and have urged the Department for Health and Social Care to release updated enrolment figures. The NHS stopped publishing this data in January 2023 due to an inaccuracy.