Healthy uptake in voucher scheme

Healthy Start vouchers – for pregnant people on certain benefits aged over 18 and carers of children up to four years – help people buy healthy foods including milk or fruit and get free vitamins to support the child and parent or carer’s health.

Giving an update on Rotherham Food Network at Rotherham Council's Health and Wellbeing board meeting, Kelsey Broomhead, public health practitioner (apprentice), said there had been a boost in uptake of the vouchers among those eligible this year – from 68 per cent in January to more than three-quarters (78 per cent) in October.

Rotherham Food Network was also increasing accessibility to the vouchers by getting more businesses on board, she added.

The network works collaboratively to adopt national and locally identified best practice.

It currently has 21 stakeholder organisations and 68 members including Voluntary Action Rotherham and Rotherham Federation..