Council aims to get all families off to a healthy start

SOUTH CAMBS SEES A BIG RISE IN CLAIMANTS FOR FREE FOOD AND MILK

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SOUTH Cambridgeshire has seen the biggest increase in NHS Healthy Start claims in the country, following a targeted campaign by the district council encouraging eligible parents to sign up for free food and milk support.

The three-week campaign is projected to have distributed nearly £60,000 of previously unclaimed funds.

The campaign used the district council's innovative new Low-Income Family Tracker (LIFT) software to identify families who were likely to be eligible for this support.

These families were then sent a letter or text encouraging them to apply if they had not already done so. The NHS Healthy Start scheme provides vital help for pregnant women, as well as parents with children under four, offering free fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula to those who qualify.

It can be worth up to £8.50 a week depending on the age of the childhowever, many people are unaware of their eligibility.