Many of us have possessions we worked hard to obtain and are precious to us. Putting insurance on these items seems like a no-brainer – but how much and what kind is a difficult decision, particularly as insurance policies tend to have a lot of options and it can be challenging to run through reams of ‘what if’ situations.

When it comes to health issues these questions get even harder, particularly as people get older, have more dependants, and bills to pay. Critical Illness cover should not just be about a single claim for the policyholder and instead should be a well-rounded, comprehensive proposition that doesn’t just focus on new payment definitions but gives its customers support before, during and after a claim.

While advisers are well placed to help their clients negotiate the various options available on critical illness policies, both they and their clients can take comfort in picking cover that is comprehensive and built to fit with trends in modern day medicine.

In this day and age medicine is helping us survive illnesses such as cancer and strokes. However, while medicine has made significant strides, the sad fact is that many people who survive such events could be faced with another diagnosis.

Statistics from the Stroke Association show that in 2015 there were over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK and over a third of those survivors were dependent on others.

Such statistics remind us that additional care can be needed, which can lead to ongoing financial pressure if someone is still suffering the effects of a long term illness. Under our Protect policy, if a client meets the requirements, they can look to get an additional £50,000, or the benefit amount if lower,  as part of their new upgraded critical illness cover to help them get on with life even after a serious illness.

And we don’t think that our responsibility to our customers should end with a claim. As part of this principle, we have improved our after-claim cover for 14 conditions including cardiomyopathy, heart attack and kidney failure.

We know when clients get cover it’s not just about them, it’s about their loved ones and it is our duty to ensure that we fully support families. In a parent’s eyes their child never truly grows up which is one of the reasons why we have also extended our children’s cover to a child’s 22^nd birthday.

Similarly, whilst in an ideal world everyone should be covered throughout much of their life, we understand that getting a 22 year old to see the necessity for critical illness cover may be harder than for those of us who have seen a few more summers. For this reason we decided to make the process of getting critical illness cover as easy as possible for this group and at 22 a ‘child’ can apply for their own cover, without underwriting, up to £25,000 (or £50,000 if both parents are covered).

Although we understand that financial security is the biggest driver for someone getting a critical illness product , there are a myriad of different factors that ultimately contribute to someone’s happiness and security which is why our There For You service comes as standard. This enables clients to access any of the following services even after a claim: serious illness support, after hospital care, second medical opinions, mental health support, bereavement support and help with long term/old age care.

This upgrade is about us focusing on the complete proposition when it comes to our critical illness cover rather than just the number of new conditions we’re adding. It’s vitally important for you to know we’re always here for your clients whenever they, their families, or their business needs us most.