Caring for ageing parents in India from the UK: a simple daily plan

For British Indians and NRIs in the UK: the 4.5–5.5 hour clock, carer’s leave, flights, insurance and a daily check-in for parents in India.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-09-29

Want to see the daily check-in before you read on? Send DEMO to our WhatsApp and the exact message a parent gets arrives on your phone — in any of 21 languages, no account needed.

What is different when you live in the UK

From the UK, India feels close: one flight, a few hours’ difference, family WhatsApp groups that never sleep. Yet most families still find out about a fall or a missed week of tablets days later, on the weekend call.

The gap is not information — it is a daily habit. Nobody has the job of asking, every single morning, "are you all right today?" and doing something when there is no answer.

The clock: when their morning happens for you

India is 5.5 hours ahead of the UK in winter (GMT) and 4.5 hours ahead in summer (BST).

Where you are	Time difference	Their 8:00 AM check-in is your…	Good time for a live call
Anywhere in the UK, winter (GMT)	5.5 h	2:30 AM — you read the result when you wake	7:00–8:30 AM your time = their early afternoon
Anywhere in the UK, summer (BST)	4.5 h	3:30 AM	Your lunch hour = their early evening

Set up a daily signal, not a weekly call

A weekly call tells you how your parent sounded on Sunday. It tells you nothing about Tuesday. The signal you want every day is small: my parent is reachable, took their medicines, and is not feeling unwell.

From the UK the check-in happens while you sleep. That is fine — the answer is waiting on your phone at breakfast, and if there was silence, the reminder and the phone call to your parent have already happened by then.

Pick one fixed time in their morning, after they are normally up and before the day gets busy.
Ask one question with buttons — "Yes, taken", "Not yet", "Please call me" — instead of asking them to type.
Decide in advance what happens when there is no reply: a reminder, then a phone call, then a message to you, then a neighbour.

Build a local circle of two

Every parent who lives alone, or as a couple, needs at least two people nearby who can physically go to the door: a neighbour, a relative, the society manager, a trusted driver. Ask them plainly whether you may message them if your parent does not respond for a few hours, and save their WhatsApp numbers.

You can be in India in under a day, but not in under an hour. A neighbour who can knock on the door within 30 minutes is what actually shortens an emergency.

Time off work: what the UK gives you

Since April 2024 employees in Great Britain have a right to one week of unpaid carer’s leave in any 12 months, from the first day of employment, to give or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. It can be taken in half days or full days.

Separately, there is a right to reasonable unpaid time off for emergencies involving a dependant. Many employers offer more than the legal minimum, so read your policy and ask.

Leave rules change and depend on your contract. Treat this as a starting point and confirm with HR before you book a ticket.

Money from the UK

Keep an emergency float in India and make sure a sibling or trusted relative can sign at a hospital if needed. Set up and test a transfer service in a calm week, not at an admissions desk.

Many Indian banks now let NRE and NRO account holders use UPI with an international mobile number from a list of countries that has grown since 2023. If your bank offers it, you can pay a chemist, a lab or a hospital counter in India directly from your phone — ask your bank whether your number qualifies.

Health cover for your parents

The NHS and UK private medical insurance do not extend to parents living in India.

Look at an Indian health policy in your parent’s own name. Since April 2024 the insurance regulator has removed the old upper age limit of 65 for buying a new policy, and the longest waiting period for existing illnesses is three years — so a policy bought now starts covering a known condition sooner than it used to. Parents aged 70 or over can also enrol for the government’s Ayushman Bharat senior-citizen cover in states that have joined the scheme.

When you have to fly

Direct flights run from London, Birmingham and Manchester to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Ahmedabad and other cities in about 8 to 10 hours.

British passport holders need an OCI card or a visa to enter India. Check the expiry dates now; an OCI card has to be re-issued after certain passport renewals.

Keep the medical basics in one place

Current medicine list with strengths and timings — a photo of the latest prescription is a good start.
The last 12 months of lab reports, in date order, so trends are visible.
Blood group, allergies, main doctor, preferred hospital and its emergency number.
A one-page emergency card you can send on WhatsApp in one tap.

How Athnova Care fits in

Your parent gets one WhatsApp message a day in their own language and answers with one tap. If they do not reply we remind them, then phone them. If they still do not answer we alert you, and then the local contacts you chose. Reports they photograph are read and trended, refills are arranged with your approval, and you get a doctor-ready summary every month. It costs $12 a month for the whole family, and your parent installs nothing.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor, and it is not an emergency service.

Questions families ask

What is the best time to call parents in India from the UK?

Your early morning is their early afternoon, and your lunch hour is their evening. Both are easier for them than your late evening, which is past midnight in India.

Does UK carer’s leave apply if my parent lives abroad?

The right is described in terms of the dependant’s care need rather than their address, but how your employer applies it matters. Ask HR before you travel.

Will my parent need a smartphone?

No. With WhatsApp they get one message a day and tap a button. Without it, choose a daily phone call: they press 1, 2 or 3 on any phone, even a landline.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency in India call 112.