Written question asked by Sam Carling (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 June 2026. It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Monday, 8 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Healthy Start Scheme

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered automatic enrolment into the Healthy Start scheme for eligible families, in the context of ensuring maximum levels of take-up.

Answer: There are currently no plans to expand the eligibility of the Healthy Start Scheme to all families on Universal Credit. The Healthy Start prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting the terms and conditions, therefore the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a Healthy Start prepaid card. However, we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake to ensure that as many eligible people as possible are accessing the scheme.

Secondary information