Nottinghamshire County Council issue care and support payment advice

There are currently 260 older people and people with disabilities in the county who need support and have a Cashplus card for their direct payments.

It can be used for direct payments to employ people such as a personal assistant or for a variety of other support services to meet assessed needs such as attending a gym, evening classes or day opportunities.

The County Council introduced the card locally, which is issued by Advanced Payment Solutions in partnership with the Cooperative Bank.

The Council receives spending reports directly from the card supplier, so service users no longer need to worry about providing the authority with regular bank statements. The card cannot be used for cash withdrawals.

Payments for support can be made using the card through a direct debit, a standing order, a bank transfer or a point of sale payment using chip and PIN technology.

Users can keep track of their direct payment via online statements or by contacting the County Council.

The authority arranges for a service user’s monthly direct payment to be paid on to the card and any contribution the service user makes can be paid on to the card by a bank transfer, standing order, payment at a Post Office or a cash payment at a Money Shop.

Coun Muriel Weisz, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and Health Committee, said: “People receiving direct payments have greater control over the care and support that they receive and the debit cards take the hassle out of making their payments.

“Card users can keep track of their payments online or by telephone so they can manage their budgets more effectively.”

For more information on the cards contact the Council on 0115 977 3429 or email [email protected]