What critical illnesses are covered?
Critical Illness Cover can be added when taking out Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance for an extra cost. It's designed to pay out if you were diagnosed with or undergo a medical procedure for one of the specified critical illnesses that we cover during the length of your policy and you survive for 14 days from diagnosis.
Below is a complete list of the critical illnesses that are covered.
These headings typically use medical terms to describe the critical illness, but in some cases the cover may be limited. For example, some types of cancer are not included and to make a claim for some illnesses, you need to have permanent symptoms.
For full definitions and when you can claim for these illnesses, please refer to our Guide to Critical Illness Cover PDF: 1.0MB and Policy Booklet PDF: 3.2MB
If you already have Critical Illness Cover with us, please refer to your original policy documents for full terms and conditions and definitions available to you. The critical illnesses you're already covered for may be different from those listed below.
| Critical Illness | Definition |
| Aorta graft surgery | requiring surgical replacement |
| Aplastic anaemia | with permanent bone marrow failure |
| Bacterial meningitis | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Benign brain tumour | resulting in either surgical removal or permanent symptoms |
| Blindness | permanent and irreversible |
| Cancer | excluding less advanced cases |
| Cardiac Arrest | with insertion of a defibrillator |
| Cardiomyopathy | of specified severity |
| Coma | with associated permanent symptoms |
| Coronary artery by-pass grafts | with surgery to divide the breast bone or thoracotomy |
| Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Deafness | permanent and irreversible |
| Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease | of specified severity |
| Encephalitis | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Heart attack | of specified severity |
| Heart valve replacement or repair | with surgery |
| Kidney failure | requiring permanent dialysis |
| Liver failure | of advanced stage |
| Loss of hand or foot | permanent physical severance |
| Loss of speech | total permanent and irreversible |
| Major organ transplant | from another donor |
| Motor neurone disease | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Multiple sclerosis | where there have been symptoms |
| Multiple system atrophy | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Open heart surgery | with median sternotomy |
| Paralysis of limb | total and irreversible |
| Parkinson's disease | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Primary pulmonary hypertension | of specified severity |
| Progressive supranuclear palsy | resulting in permanent symptoms |
| Removal of an eyeball | due to injury or disease |
| Respiratory failure | of advanced stage |
| Spinal stroke | resulting in symptoms lasting at least 24 hours |
| Stroke | resulting in symptoms lasting at least 24 hours |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | with severe complications |
| Third degree burns | covering 20% of the surface area of the body or 20% of the face or head |
| Traumatic brain injury | resulting in permanent symptoms |
Additional cover
We provide additional cover for carcinoma in situ of the breast (treated by surgery) and low grade prostate cancer (requiring treatment). This means if you meet our definitions we'll pay out 50% of your original amount of cover up to a maximum of £25,000. This benefit does not affect your amount of cover or the premiums you pay.
Extra protection with Critical Illness Cover
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Receive a £120 gift card after you take out cover on or before 26 March 2025.
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Key information for new customers
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Exclusions and Limitations
- The illnesses covered include cancer, heart attack and stroke, but not all occurrences of these illnesses are covered. For example, a cancer needs to have spread or reached a specified severity to be covered under the policy.
- Advances in medicine and technology mean that traditional views of critical illnesses are constantly changing. For example, not all types of cancer are covered by this insurance and to make a claim for some illnesses you need to have permanent symptoms.
- Above is a list of specified critical illnesses covered by our current policies. If the person covered has a critical illness it has to be verified by a medical specialist who holds an appointment as a consultant at a hospital in the UK and whose specialism we reasonably consider is appropriate to the critical illness.
- Please remember that the heading of each critical illness is only a guide to what is covered. Further details of how we will consider your claim, including the full definitions we will use and the evidence we will need, are given in the policy terms and conditions, which will be sent to you when your policy starts.
The Critical Illness Cover payout process
If you’re protected by Critical Illness Cover and you wish to make a claim, here’s how the payout process works.