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Direct payments with the e-card

Rifi7

Has anyone used the e- card to pay for their care. I was given an e-card a few months ago to manage payments for my care but found it so complicated how to use and pay my carer I gave it back to the council to manage. One of my carers that I have had for 12 years has gone on the payroll and is paid via Care In Finance. The problem I have now is that I’m now having problems with carer and she’s now abusing her position. She is no longer working with a agency given and has been given a set amount of hours a week and is paid by Care In Finance regardless of how many hours she is doing. Because there is no one checking on her turning up late and not even turning up some days. She’s constantly on her phone and I’m starting to feel resentful towards her. I have tried to address these issues with her, but she has started to argue back at me. She’s aware that she will get paid regardless and that’s why she doesn’t care. I think the only way to solve this, is if I take full control of the payments back but Im struggling to work out how to use the e-card. I wondered if anyone can give some advice.

Is there anyone on the forum that can offer some advice as I feel I need some help in this department.
Thank you!

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Comments

poppy123456

Hi,

You use that e card in the same way you use a debit/credit card.

As payroll are managing your payments for you then you should get in touch with those or your local council and tell them that your carer isn't working the hours they are supposed to work and sometimes they don't turn up at all.

Even though payroll manage the payments you should still be agreeing to the hours the carer is doing and they should be writing a time sheet so it can be sent to payroll each month and you should be signing an agreeing to those hours.

My daughter has a support worker and i managed her direct payments through online banking BUT i also use payroll to partly manage them and they send me payslips for the support worker each month and also details of how much i need to pay HMRC but my daughters PA brings me a time sheet each month to sign so i can agree to the hours she's worked, without that she doesn't get paid.

Rifi7

Firstly, thank you for your response.

At the time the hours were agreed between me and the carer just agreed and the payroll was set up, it was just agreed she would do 15.5 hours a week but there was no mention of time sheet. If my carer was doing these hours I wouldn’t have to resort to getting a timesheet in place. I think it will ruffle her feathers but the turning up late and the not turning up on days is becoming a regular occurrence.

So I get the time sheet from Care In Finance, they are the people managing my e-card at the moment?

Do you mind me asking but what happens if you still have funds at the end of the month. Do they get rolled over to the following month?

Thank you.

poppy123456

You need to ask Care in Finance what proof she's giving that the hours are being worked each month.

If the funds are still there at the end of the month they will remain there and any hours you do not have support each week will be banked so you can use them another time. Finds are added weekly by your local council.

How many hours per week are in your care plan?

Rifi7

Poppy123456 I get 19.5 hours a week in my care plan.

babyjacksnan

hi i have 12 hrs a week im registered with Cheshire center for independent living i get pay slips sent 4 weekly i get time sheets for me to fill in and keep for my own record ,i pay my pa every 2 weeks so i pay 24 hrs .this is how i work ..my pa works 5 days a week 4 x 2 hrs and 1 day 4 hrs total 12 hrs then i get my pa to sign her time sheet and i also sign it. 2nd week i again fill time sheet and pa signs and i sign it then i ring the e card provider to pay my pa the 24 hrs wage amount i then get my pa to sign the time sheet again with the amount ive paid. then on the 4th week i will rec a pay slip one for me and one for the pa i then attach the payslip to the time sheet for that 4 weeks sorted now that is put away .. you can pay your pa weekly ..2 weekly or 4 weekly but you will only get a 4 weekly pay slip.also Cheshire center work out the hourly rate so a small amount of the council payment is saved in your balance so at the end of the year on your e card you will have a enough money so you can pay for the pa insurance.and also enough to cover holiday/sick pay for your pa .i would highly recommend a Cheshire center visit its so easy and stress free .any area covered i believe .they leave/give you good advise on how to deal with pa that is not working or your not happy .it also looks very official ..i had help in making sure i had the correct insurance to cover for myself and my pa all paid for through the e card and also help you in what to pay in holiday pay /sick pay and also how to get cover should your pa leave or become sick or on holiday hope this helps

babyjacksnan

Rifi7 said:

Firstly, thank you for your response.

At the time the hours were agreed between me and the carer just agreed and the payroll was set up, it was just agreed she would do 15.5 hours a week but there was no mention of time sheet. If my carer was doing these hours I wouldn’t have to resort to getting a timesheet in place. I think it will ruffle her feathers but the turning up late and the not turning up on days is becoming a regular occurrence.

So I get the time sheet from Care In Finance, they are the people managing my e-card at the moment?

Do you mind me asking but what happens if you still have funds at the end of the month. Do they get rolled over to the following month?

Thank you.

poppy123456

@Rifi7

May i ask what you and your Carer/PA does exactly to confirm the hours they work? Surely Care in Finance don't just take your PA's word alone?

Have you contacted Care in Finance like i advised? If you haven't then please do that first thing tomorrow morning and ask what your PA is sending that confirms the hours they are doing. If you don't confirm those hours then tell them that you're not receiving any time sheets to sign.

Also ring your Social Worker or your local council that deals with paying your direct payments and tell them that you're not receiving the hours that you should be receiving, tell them what you said here. If you don't tell them then they won't know what's going on and it can't be put right.

pollyanna1052

Oh dear that`s not right and I can imagine my Direct Payments team jumping hard on that.

My carer fills a time sheet in. I check and sign it and we scan it to our Payroll accountant. They pay wages into her bank account every 4 weeks. A pay slip comes to me a few days later.

My new care agency will be invoicing me and sending a copy to my payroll provider.

Your care is really taking advantage. Difficult!

poppy123456

@Rifi7 i see you posted on my wall. 6th January is tomorrow, i'd advise you to contact them first thing tomorrow morning and definitely question the time sheet. I always sign to agree my daughters time sheet every 4 weeks as i pay her 4 weekly.

Rifi7

It makes me think if my carer is getting the time sheet as she gets her payslip. I don’t see any paperwork from Care In Finance.

Adrian_Scope

I hope you're able to give them a ring today @Rifi7. Please let us know what they say as it doesn't sound like your carer is behaving responsibly at all.

Rifi7

I gave Care In Finance a ring today and explained my situation and they will be sending a timesheet that I fill in and we both have to sign. I think now this will put a stop to her not doing the hours she should do. Now I have to try to stop her using her phone all throughout the time she’s with me. Yesterday within the space of 20min she had taken 6 phone calls. I have addressed this with her previously, but she has said she will keep answering the phone to her mum and daughter and I have no problem with that but she has her lodger ringing and all her friends. She works as PA for me but she also works for care agency. The care agency she works for is very good as I used the before but when I mentioned last week that I was thinking i changing her going through the payroll and would rather go through her agency she said that doesn’t work for her, as she will get less money per hour, but to be honest I have had enough and I want to go through an agency.

poppy123456

I'm glad you rang and you're going to be sent timesheets from now on, that's a good thing.

As for her using her phone you need to tell you that you don't want her using her phone and she should only use it for emergencies. If she still refuses to accept this then you have to do what's right for you. As she's your PA then you are her employer and not anyone else. If you're not happy then i'd advise you to find a care agency that will agree to the hours you need and then give your PA her notice to end her employment. Usual notice to end employment should be what is states in her contract of employment but usually it's 1 month.

I must admit if she was my daughters PA then i would have given her, her notice long ago. My daughters PA is amazing and definitely a big part of my family now. I don't know what we would do without her.

Please make sure that you find a care agency before giving her the notice, otherwise you'll end up without care.

Good luck and i hope you find a solution.

Rifi7

Poppy123456
I have approached her on many occasions about her phone and I know I will have to let her go. I have found an agency to replace her but unfortunately it’s one she already works for, I’m just worried if she finds out about joining her agency that she will bad mouth me so the agency doesn’t take me on. I know she has done this in the past as one of her colleagues had told me that when I was previously with the her agency.

Rifi7

Anyhow thank you very much for all your help poppy123456

poppy123456

You're welcome,

I'd advise you to ask someone else and report this person. You mustn't let her continue to do what she's doing. It's very unlikely the agency will take her word alone.

Rifi7

Hi Poppy123456
Surprisingly with the help from yourself and others and now knowing what I know now, I have got a backbone and have started to deal with the situation. Today I even pulled her up on her using using the phone while she’s at work with me. She was taken back and immediately terminated the call. Later her friend rang and I just looked her and she told the person she would call them later because she was at work. I finally feel I have the upper up, but your right I need to look for someone new.

poppy123456

That's brilliant! i'm very happy to hear that you stood your ground and showed her exactly who the boss is. No one should act that way while working, especially when support vulnerable people. This is definitely a step in the right direction and i'm so happy to hear my advice helped.

Good luck with finding another agency or PA, which ever is right for you and i hope the next person treats you the way you should be treated.... with respect.

Rifi7

There’s no turning back now. I was weak and yes I felt vulnerable. After the lose of my twin brother I lost my confidence but now I feel strong and more like my old self.

Yourself, Chiarieds, Pollyanna and Spiceman are wonderful. You all offer something different. You are all assets to this forum. Despite what your going through yourselves you continue to offer advice and support.

A big thank you from me.

Adrian_Scope

I'm really pleased you felt strong enough to address some of the issues with your carer @Rifi7. The timesheets you both have to sign should help and it's great she finally listened to you about the phone.

I hope you are able to find someone more suited but at least in the mean time you'll be able to hold her more accountable.