Critical Illness Cover

Every client is different, so cover can be tailored to suit their individual needs.

• Set up cover on a single life, dual life or joint life, first event basis.
• Choose between guaranteed or reviewable plan payments.
• Arrange cover on a level, increasing or decreasing basis:
  • Choose how quickly decreasing cover reduces in line with a repayment mortgage - select between 0% and 15%.
  • Choose for cover to increase by a fixed rate of 2% to 5%, or in line with the Retail Prices Index (2%-10%). Increasing cover comes at an extra cost.
• If your clients have, or are planning, a family, choose to add Standard or Enhanced children’s cover.
• Choose whether cover pays out a lump sum or is set up as a family income benefit that provides a regular monthly income.
• If your clients make positive lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking or improving their health, a lifestyle review could mean lower plan payments. We can review their cover and may update their plan to reflect their new lifestyle.

Reassure clients with the breadth of cover we offer across a wide range of serious and less severe conditions.

• Cover includes a wide range of cancers, neurological conditions, organ conditions and surgeries:
  • 46 main definitions that pay out the full sum assured.
  • 32 additional conditions that pay out 50% of the sum assured, up to a maximum of £35,000.
• Claims for additional conditions don't affect the ability to claim for a more serious illness later.
• We include definitions for 17 early forms of cancer because almost two-thirds (63.8%) of our Critical Illness claims in 2024 were for cancer.
  • If your clients are later diagnosed with a more severe form of cancer and meet our main Cancer definition, they can still claim for their full sum assured.
• Our advanced surgery benefit means we'll pay as soon as your clients are on an NHS waiting list for the
  13 types of surgery we cover.
• Choose whether to include total permanent disability, giving your clients additional protection.

To explore the conditions we cover in more detail, use our definitions tool.

Use definitions tool

When it comes to children's cover, one size doesn't fit all. Choose the level that best suits your clients or leave it off completely if it's not something they need.

Enhanced Cover

Our most comprehensive option for clients who have, or are planning, a family:

• Tailored protection from pregnancy through to young adulthood (age 22 or 23 if in full-time
  education).
• Pays 50% of the full sum assured, up to a maximum of £50,000.
• Covers a range of child-specific conditions, plus all main and additional definitions adults are covered for as standard, including total permanent disability. See our Definitions tab for more details.
• Includes an extra additional condition for pregnancy complications.
• Includes a conversion option, allowing covered children to take out their own Critical Illness Cover (up to £50,000) with no medical underwriting. Please read our Plan details for full eligibility, terms and conditions.
• Includes children’s terminal illness cover and £10,000 paid on the death of a child.

Standard Cover

For clients with no children, or no immediate plans to start a family:

• Protection from birth through to young adulthood (age 22 or 23 if in full time education).
• Pays 50% of the full sum assured, up to a maximum of £30,000.
• Covers the 46 main conditions that adults are covered for as standard, including total permanent disability. See our Definitions tab for more details.
• This option does not include the 36 additional conditions.
• Includes children's terminal illness cover and £5,000 paid on the death of a child.

No children’s cover

For clients with no children, or no immediate plans to start a family.

Your clients can change their level of children's cover at any time without providing more medical information. We'll provide a quote for the change, on request.

Learn more about our Children's Critical Illness Cover.

Details on children's cover

If your clients' plan doesn't start right away, we want to help make sure they're protected in the meantime. Free Cover provides temporary cover, in line with the cover your clients’ applied for.

• It starts as soon as we receive their completed application, so protection can be in place before their plan officially begins.
• A completed Direct Debit instruction is needed.
• Free Cover is available for clients up to age 60 (based on the oldest client on a joint life plan).
• If we accept your clients' application, Free Cover will end 14 days after we make our decision, or when their plan starts, whichever is earlier.
• For cover linked to a mortgage, we can extend Free Cover for up to 90 days.
• If we're unable to offer cover, or need to defer our decision, Free Cover will stop.

To find out more about how Free Cover works, read our Free Cover leaflet.

Get Free Cover leaflet (PDF)

Helping Hand is included with all our advised protection plans at no extra cost, so your clients are supported
at every stage of life. It offers support to the plan owner whether they make a claim or not.

It also provides online access to early medical services to help them stay healthy and address small health concerns before they become a bigger problem:

• Recovery support - Our partner RedArc offers plan owners, their partner and children, help from a dedicated nurse, providing tailored practical advice and emotional support when it's needed. They can also arrange therapy, counselling and second medical opinions.
• HealthHero - Gives plan owners 24/7 access to virtual GP consultations by qualified, NHS-practising doctors.
• Thrive - Provides plan owners with personalised mental health advice and recommendations to help prevent, identify and manage mental health conditions.
• TrackActiveMe - Created by physiotherapists, this service allows plan owners to assess musculoskeletal issues such as joint pain and provides them with physiotherapy advice and personalised exercise programmes.

Important information about Helping Hand

Helping Hand is a package of support services, and each service is provided by third parties that aren't regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or the Prudential Regulation Authority.

These services aren't part of our terms and conditions and don't form part of your client's insurance contract with us, so they can be amended or withdrawn at any time. This means that your client or your client's family's access to these services could be amended or withdrawn by us in the future.

Find out more about the services available through Helping Hand.

More about Helping Hand