Guardian has paid its first critical illness claim under its new cover upgrade promise, which checks a claim against both the critical illness definitions that a customer bought, as well as the critical illness definitions of new customers, paying out if the claim is valid under either.

Cover upgrade was introduced by Guardian in 2018 and is a central part of the firm’s approach to providing better customer outcomes in an attempt to improve fairness and trust in the protection insurance industry.

In this case, which was for a customer with Parkinson’s, the cover was taken out in July 2019, when the firm’s definition of the disease was “a definite diagnosis by a UK consultant neurologist of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease”, and that there must be “permanent clinical impairment of motor function with associated tremor and rigidity of movement”.

Under the claim, the customer had a definite diagnosis of Parkinson’s and had an associated tremor, but at the time, was not yet experiencing muscle rigidity. Therefore, the definition would not have met the contract bought in July 2019.

However, this was updated in October 2019 and all customers were told that their definition had been upgraded free of charge. The new definition read: “A definite diagnosis by a UK Consultant Neurologist. There must be permanent clinical impairment of motor function. This impairment should include either an associated tremor or muscle rigidity.”

Head of claims at Guardian, Phil Deacon, said: “We’re delighted to be able to pay our customer’s Parkinson’s claim as a result of our cover upgrade promise. This claim shows why cover upgrade is such an important and valuable feature of Guardian’s critical illness cover and it speaks to exactly what we’re trying to achieve as a business. What’s more, through our bespoke HALO claims service and specifically our partnership with Krysalis, we’re able to provide our customer with access to specialist neurological support to help them come to terms with their condition and to manage it.”

The customer, who works as a financial adviser, added: “As an adviser, when Guardian came to market with its critical illness policy and its cover upgrade promise, I could see it was special, and that was part of the reason I took out this cover for myself. I’m so pleased I did, not just because of cover upgrade which means my claim has been paid, but also because of the support I’ve received through HALO and my referral to Krysalis.

“The therapy sessions with Krysalis have helped me to process and organise my thoughts about my Parkinson’s diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed, I had a very bleak outlook, but the therapy has helped me see things differently. I now hold a much more positive outlook for the future.”

Deacon concluded: “This customer’s experience demonstrates exactly why we take a bespoke approach to claims support. The challenges of a Parkinson’s diagnosis are complicated and unique to the individual. It underlines the importance of our partnership with Krysalis and their expertise in supporting people with neurological conditions. This, combined with the specialisms of our other HALO partners, helps us to provide personal and valuable claims support for our customers.”

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