Scott Cadger, Head of Claims and Underwriting Strategy at Scottish Widows, examines the importance of having a financial safety net in place

As an industry, we have a duty of care to discuss with clients the financial implications of suffering a critical illness or bereavement and the effect a stroke can have on people and their families.

Strokes are the fourth largest cause of death in the UK and the leading source of disability, according to the Stroke Association. More than 100,000 strokes occur in the UK each year – that is around one stroke every five minutes. And although many people still associate strokes with the elderly population, RedArc statistics released in February 2018 reveal that 60% of patients they have treated fall within the traditional working age bracket of 40 to 59.