Written questions, answers and statements

Healthy Start Scheme

Show full question

Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN 47209, tabled on 23 April 2025

Question

Mary Glindon
Labour
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure all eligible recipients are registered for their NHS Healthy Start entitlement.

Answer

Ashley Dalton
Labour
West Lancashire
Commons

Answered on

29 April 2025

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Those eligible for Healthy Start must apply to the NHSBSA to receive Healthy Start payments.

All applicants, where they meet the eligibility criteria, must accept the terms and conditions of the Healthy Start prepaid card at the point of application. As the prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting these terms, the NHSBSA is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a prepaid card.

We remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake to ensure that as many eligible people as possible are accessing the scheme, to support their children with a healthy start in life.

In March 2025 Healthy Start supported over 359,000 people.

Answered by

Department of Health and Social Care
Named day
Named day questions only occur in the House of Commons. The MP tabling the question specifies the date on which they should receive an answer. MPs may not table more than five named day questions on a single day.