Boost Your Business with the NHS Healthy Start Scheme

March 4, 2024

The NHS Healthy Start scheme supports low-income families and pregnant individuals with access to essential healthy food, milk, and vitamins. Participating as a retailer can yield several advantages for your business.

Here’s why you should join:

Expand Your Customer Base: Accepting NHS Healthy Start card payments welcomes families and expectant mothers seeking nutritious options. This taps into a market segment prioritising health despite financial limitations, making healthy choices more accessible.

Boost Foot Traffic and Sales: Engagement in the NHS Healthy Start scheme can drive more visitors to your store as beneficiaries actively seek participating retailers. Increased foot traffic opens opportunities for additional sales, contributing to revenue growth.

Enhance Community Reputation: By supporting the NHS Healthy Start scheme showcases your commitment to community health, enhancing your store’s reputation as a socially responsible business. Engagement fosters goodwill, potentially leading to increased loyalty and referrals.

Diversify Payment Options: Accepting NHS Healthy Start card payments provides an additional payment avenue for customers, improving inclusivity. Accommodating various payment preferences enhances the shopping experience, attracting and retaining customers.

Streamlined Integration:
Participation is hassle-free, requiring no separate registration. If your store already accepts Mastercard® and offers eligible items, you can start accepting NHS Healthy Start card payments seamlessly. This minimises administrative burdens, allowing you to focus on customer service. By Joining the NHS Healthy Start scheme presents an opportunity to support community health while growing your business.

By expanding your customer base, increasing sales, enhancing community engagement, diversifying payment options, and streamlining integration, retailers can benefit significantly. Ensure your store offers eligible items and accepts Mastercard® payments to position yourself as a health-conscious partner within Redbridge.

With no registration needed and seamless integration with existing systems, retailers have every reason to seize this opportunity.

Tell your customers to visit NHS Healthy Start website and follow these instructions:

Cards need to be activated before use. How to do so will be explained in a letter you get with your card.

Money stays on the card for 16 weeks. Any cash unused after 16 weeks is returned to Healthy Start.

The new card can be used in most shops that accept Mastercard. This includes supermarkets, convenience stores, markets, and newsagents. You can only use the card in-store though – not online.

The card is contactless and there’s no minimum spend. Though you will need to enter your PIN the first time you use it and on certain transactions after this. The card can also be used as proof of entitlement when collecting free Healthy Start vitamins.

You can check your card balance for free at a cash machine. Though you can’t use it to withdraw cash. You can check your balance by calling Healthy Start’s phone number on 0300 330 2090. Calls are charged at local rates, so check how much your mobile or landline provider charges for these (many get them free with call plans).  

For information or support on completing your Healthy Start application call NHSE on 0300 330 2090 or visit any of the hubs below or your local children centre:

Loxford and Cranbrook Hub
Loxford Polyclinic
417 Ilford Lane
Ilford
IG1 2SN
Tel: 0300 300 1579

Seven Kings Hub
Seven Kings Health Centre
1 Salisbury Road
Seven Kings
IG3 8BG
Tel: 0300 300 1579

Fairlop Hub
Hainault Health Centre
Manford Way
Chigwell
IG7 4DF
Tel: 0300 300 1579

Wanstead and Woodford Hub
South Woodford Health Centre
114 High Road
South Woodford
E18 2QS
Tel: 0300 300 1579