What critical illnesses are covered?

Critical Illness Cover is designed to pay out if you were diagnosed with or undergo a medical procedure for a specified critical illness that we cover during the length of your policy.

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, Policy Booklet and Policy Summary.

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 
Total and permanent disability* of specified severity
Traumatic brain injury resulting in permanent symptoms

Additional cover

We provide additional cover for Carcinoma in situ of the breast and low grade prostate cancer. This means if you meet our definitions we'll pay out 25% of your amount of cover up to a maximum of £25,000. This benefit does not affect your amount of cover or the premiums you pay.

*Total and Permanent Disability

We define total and permanent disability in two ways. The definition that applies to you will be shown in the Policy Booklet and will depend on your occupation, employment status and whether you are paid for your work. The full definitions and details on when you can claim are in our Guide to Critical Illness Cover PDF and Policy Booklet.

A personalised Policy Booklet will be provided following cover being taken out.

Exclusions and Limitations

  • The illnesses covered include cancer, heart attack and stroke, but because of advances in medicine, 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. 

Add critical illness cover when getting a life insurance quote

Contact Us

Call us on

0800 0481 560

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Saturday 9am to 1pm

We may record and monitor calls.