1 in 3 men in the UK between the ages of 40 and 70 will develop a critical illness – that’s 32 in every 100 men.

Out of those 32 men

-15 will develop cancer

-10 will have a heart attack

-5 will suffer a stroke

-2 will have coronary heart By-pass surgery.

1 in 4 women in the UK between the ages of 40 and 70 will develop a critical illness – that’s 25 in every 100 women.

Out of those 25 women

-17 will develop cancer

-3 will have a heart attack

-3 will suffer a stroke

-1 will have coronary heart By-pass surgery.

-1 will develop Multiple Sclerosis

Advances in medical technology mean that life-prolonging cures and operations are becoming increasingly available. Whilst there has been little increase in the incidence of Critical Illness (the number of people who get a Critical Illness in a given time period), many more people are now surviving these conditions - so the prevalence of Critical Illness (the number of people with a Critical Illness at a given time) has increased.

Regrettably, however, it is clear that, for a large proportion of those who do survive a Critical Illness, a certain degree of disability will result. This affects the individual's ability to pursue their normal activities, including, of course, their ability to work.

Critical Illness cover pays out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified critical illness (these are listed in the policy documents)

This takes the burden off things such as paying off the mortgage, paying medical expenses or just normal day to day expenditure that can no longer be met as you may not be able to work.

For the policy to pay out, you need to be diagnosed with one of the specified critical illnesses. It is not necessary that you are unable to work.