Intensive care
Here you'll find our current definition of the critical illness, additional condition or child specific condition we cover. We've also listed any previous definitions we may have had. With each new definition we've highlighted what's changed from the previous definition.
Current definition
March 2020
Intensive care - requiring mechanical ventilation for 10 consecutive days
Any sickness or injury resulting in the person covered requiring continuous mechanical ventilation by means of tracheal intubation for 10 consecutive days (24 hours per day) or more in an intensive care unit in a UK hospital.
For the above definition the following is not covered:
- intensive care requiring mechanical ventilation for a child under the age of 90 days.
Changes from the previous definition
We've removed the drug and alcohol exclusion.
Previous definitions
November 2015
Intensive care - requiring mechanical ventilation for 10 consecutive days
Any sickness or injury resulting in the person covered requiring continuous mechanical ventilation by means of tracheal intubation for 10 consecutive days (24 hours per day) or more in an intensive care unit in a UK hospital.
For the above definition the following are not covered:
- sickness or injury as a result of drug or alcohol intake or other self-inflicted means;
- intensive care requiring mechanical ventilation for a child under the age of 90 days.