NHS health boards have the option of distributing Healthy Start vitamins to pregnant women directly through their midwifery services and health visitors, such as. All breastfeeding women and children under the age of three from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde can now receive free vitamin D supplements. This is a new plan from the Scottish government that has replaced the vitamins for children in Healthy Start. The vitamins are the same as those offered through the Healthy Start program throughout the United Kingdom, which is administered by the Department of Health and is only open to beneficiaries of certain benefits or tax credits from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) subject to resource verification.
If you have a Healthy Start card, you must show it to your health professional so they can pick up the free Healthy Start vitamins every 8 weeks. NHS health boards have the option of distributing Healthy Start vitamins to pregnant women directly through their midwifery services and health visitors, as well as some pharmacies and community dispensing offices. Women can take Healthy Start vitamin tablets during pregnancy and until their baby's first birthday. The pharmacies involved will provide Healthy Start beneficiaries with appropriate vitamins and will be reimbursed once they submit a signed CPUS.
If you meet the requirements, you'll receive a Healthy Start card with money that you can use at some stores in the UK. If you're looking for general information for the general population, this publication on Vitamin D and You from Health Scotland explains the benefits of getting enough vitamin D as part of a healthy diet. The Healthy Start leader in the Lanarkshire NHS has decided to use a distribution model that includes a combination of community pharmacies and direct distribution through boards of directors through midwives, health visitors and NHS clinics. Find out who has the Healthy Start vitamins in your local area on the NHS Choices website (opens in a new tab).
Your primary care trust, health board, or health trust is responsible for making free Healthy Start vitamins available to you.