Information for care home managers

All care homes in the UK will need to ensure that all their TV systems are able to support a digital signal to continue delivering TV to residents’ rooms and communal areas after switchover.

This may mean upgrading or replacing the existing communal TV aerial systems.

All residents who have lived in a care home for six months or more are eligible for assistance to convert one TV to digital through the Switchover Help Scheme.

They will receive information through the post in the months before switchover happens where they live.

Most people pay £40 towards the cost of this help. However, if a resident is eligible for certain income-related benefits, the help is free.

To ensure we are able to offer assistance to each eligible resident we need your help.

What happens next?

• The Department for Culture for Media and Sport (DCMS) will contact you, they will explain further about switchover in your area.
• They will ask you to confirm the details of all of the residents of your care home.
• The Switchover Help Scheme will then provide full details of all the different digital options available to each of your residents.
• The Switchover Help Scheme will help you and the residents choose the right option for their switchover.
• The Care Homes Team will provide one point of contact for all of your and your residents' needs.

Please remember that the Help Scheme provides assistance to each resident and will not be able to help switch over any communal TVs or complete any work on the communal aerial – for more information about communal aerials, please visit digitaluk.co.uk/propertymanagers

If you have any questions you can contact the Care Homes Team free on
0800 40 85 933 or email carehomes@helpscheme.co.uk.