Name
Address / Date / 21 April 2016
My Ref / CP/DPC3/xxxx
Phone / 0116 305 xxxx
Email /
Your Ref / DPC/xxxx

Dear

Service Improvements to Direct Payments - Update No. 3

Your Direct Payment Card issue date: Week Commencing 28th March 2016

You will remember that we wrote to you in August and again in October to give you information regarding the new Direct Payment Card, including a fact sheet outlining the benefits and some frequently asked questions. We are now introducing the Direct Payment Card to our direct payment customers and your new card is on its way to you.

So far we have issued several hundred new cards to our customers and have received good feedback on how straight forward and simple the cards are to use.

I am writing to you to tell you that the issue date for your Direct Payment Card will be week commencing 28th March 2016.

Direct Payment Cards are an easier way for you to pay for your care and support and to manage the direct payments that you receive from us every four weeks. They are free and we will no longer need to look at all of your bank statements and receipts when we review your care needs in the future.

The timetable for providing you with your Direct Payment Card is as follows:

25th March 2016 / ·  Final 4 weekly payment will be made into your old bank account
Week commencing
28th March 2016 / ·  You will receive your new Direct Payment Card
Week commencing 28th March 2016 (after you have received your card) up until 21st April 2016 / ·  Activate your card by calling the Card Service Centre on 020 468 xxxx
·  If you have any standing orders, set them up on your Direct Payment Card, and cancel them on your old bank account after the 28th March payment has been made
·  If you have any direct debits, contact the care provider and ask them to arrange to transfer them from your old bank account to your new Direct Payment Card after the 28th March payment has been made
22nd April 2016 / ·  First 4 weekly payment will be made onto your Direct Payment Card
·  Check to see if there are any outstanding cheques, direct debits or standing orders to be paid out of your old bank account, and calculate the remaining direct payment funds to be transferred onto your Direct Payment Card
·  Transfer remaining direct payment funds onto your Direct Payment Card, and obtain a bank statement. Please refer to your factsheet for all available payment methods

To help you understand the changes in the direct payment service a little better, I am enclosing a Welcome Pack. This comprises the following documents:

·  Direct Payment Agreement (Revised October 2015)

·  Direct Payment Guidance (October 2015)

·  Frequently Asked Questions

·  Terms & Conditions

I should be grateful if you would read these documents carefully, and keep them safe because you will find them useful to refer to, especially in the early weeks and months of having a Direct Payment Card. These documents are for your information; you do not need to return the Agreement.

Please note that the Direct Payment Agreement replaces the one you signed when you first took out your Cash Payment.

To allow us to keep our records up to date as we cross over to Direct Payment Cards, I am also enclosing a prepaid return envelope for you to send to us the final bank statement from your existing bank account after you have transferred your remaining balance onto your new Direct Payment Card once you have received it. To transfer money across to your card, you will just need your new direct payment card Bank Sort Code and Account Number which appears on the front of the card when you receive it.

If you have any concerns or queries about the new Direct Payment Card, or you are unsure about whether it is the right option for you, then please contact the Direct Payments Support Team on 0116 305xxxx.

Yours sincerely

Leicestershire County Council

Direct Payments Support Team

Enc.

ACCESS to RECORDS: The Council has an open access to service users’ social care records. Individuals now have a right to see personal information about themselves held by the Council, in accordance with the Access to Personal Files Act 1987.