Skip to content

Extension of the Healthy Start Vitamin Pilot in Cardiff

The Minister for Health and Social Services has agreed to the extension of grant funding to Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board to continue the Healthy Start Vitamin Pilot for a further 6 months, until 30 September 2012.

Date of decision / Dyddiad y penderfyniad:

 28 March 2012

Statement of information / Datganiad gwybodaeth:

Cardiff Vitamin Project

In April 2010 the Welsh Government funded an 18 month pilot to increase access to Healthy Start vitamin supplements to all children aged 0-4 and to all pregnant and breastfeeding women in Cardiff, not just those in receipt of the Healthy Start benefit. The aim of the pilot was to enable the development of a simplified process for distribution of the vitamins and to ensure equity of access, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable groups.

During the year between April 2010 and March 2011, the pilot has reported successes. With a 20 fold increase in distribution:
• 20% (4162) of children in Cardiff, aged under 4 years, have received at least one bottle of Healthy Start vitamins.
• 37% (962) of Flying Start children in Cardiff have received at least one bottle of Healthy Start vitamins.
The Minister for Health and Social Services has been asked to agree additional funding to continue the pilot until 30 September 2012.
The relevant legal powers of the Welsh Ministers are in sections 1-3 of the NHS (Wales) Act 2006.