It has been announced that Cheshire East Council has launched a scheme that will enable vulnerable residents in the Macclesfield area to enjoy the independence and convenience of being able to use a payment card to pay for services.
The social care payment cards will enable users to benefit from maintaining independence, so that they can pay for thing such as leisure services and social services themselves through the use of the card.
The new payment card is called the ‘Empower Card’. The card will enable the elderly and disabled in the area to enjoy more independence and pay for services themselves. The scheme has just been launched by the council, and officials believe that it is the first scheme of its kind in the UK.
Social care money was previously paid into the recipients’ bank accounts, but now consumers will have the option to have the money loaded onto a pre-loaded Visa card.
One resident in the area said that she is the first to be receiving one of these payment cards, and said that she can now use it to pay for the services of three staff members to act as assistants to her daughter, who suffers from both emotional and physical problems.
She said: “It has changed both mine and Victoria’s lives for the better. It’s given us both so much more flexibility. It’s freed up lots of time for me, so that I can actually go out to work which is great. It’s a very forward-thinking system which is what attracted me to the card in the first place. I would definitely recommend it.”
Any of the residents that are receiving social care from Cheshire East council will be able to apply for the card, although they can still have the money paid into their account should they prefer to do so.
Tags: social care payment cards, independence, cheshire, Cheshire East Council, account, empower card
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