ICMIF member, Royal London (UK), has introduced a series of changes to its mental health underwriting philosophy. The changes improve outcomes for members and are part of its commitment to regularly enhance the most common areas of underwriting disclosure.

Royal London has a strong track record in underwriting clients with a mental health condition; from its proposition to cover customers that struggle to obtain cover elsewhere in the market, to its primary underwriting philosophy which results in 89% of customers being offered a standard terms decision for Life Cover.

For disability cover such as Income Protection, a greater number of customers with minor conditions will now be accepted on standard terms, whilst in other cases cover will be available with a rating instead of an exclusion, so full protection can be offered.

More customers with milder symptoms who have been treated with counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or similar psychological therapies can now be accepted on standard terms. In addition, customers with a past history of suicide attempt, suicidal ideation or inpatient treatment may now be offered terms for Life or Critical Illness where they were previously unavailable.

Craig Paterson, Chief Underwriter at Royal London, said: “The improvements to our underwriting of mental health conditions continues our theme of focussing on evidence-based underwriting whilst boosting access to insurance. Mental health conditions are the most commonly disclosed by customers applying for protection. This, combined with recent global events and the challenging economic environment, serves to demonstrate our commitment to regularly review and enhance our offering, allowing more people to protect themselves and their families.”