New first of its kind industry report shines a light on the scale of accidents and illnesses in the UK

• A&E hospital attendance up 36% compared to decade ago - the equivalent of 7.3k visits every day

• Accidents make up one in ten of all hospital visits at Accident and Emergency (A&E) units 

• Almost a third of advisers say clients are more conscious of protecting their ‘everyday lives’ than before

• Knowledge gap and lack of awareness still exists when it comes to the right type of protection needed for individuals

• Advisers also confirm that many overlook or ignore protection until it’s too late 

Hospital visits have become an everyday experience, according to a first-of-its-kind Everyday Risk Report by MetLife UK¹, the protection and employee benefits provider. 

The report, which shines a light on the scale of risk that we face every day in the UK, found that accidents make up one in ten of all hospital visits, and over three quarters (76%) of these lead to admission for further treatment.

It’s everyday accidents, such as falls, trips, bumps, poisoning, and transport incidents that are among the big ‘external causes’ for why people end up in hospital. Falls, trips and bumps make up the largest proportion of accident admissions at 34.6%, a total sum of 453,004, followed by poisoning (for example, the ingestion of foods, chemicals, drugs and wider items, as well as exposure to toxic

Materials) with more than 85,000 admissions.

Comprehensive analysis of multiple data sources shows daily visits to Accident and Emergency (A&E) units across UK hospitals have been on the rise for a decade. An average of 16 million people visit major hospital A&E units, and 9 million at minor units, every year. Despite the UK population increasing by 6.8%, in the most recent quarter attendances at major A&E departments were 14% higher than they were ten years ago (+5,800 per day), and attendances at minor A&E departments were a significant 36% higher (+7,300 per day). 

Even with accidents being common, not all financial protection policies provide the cover that people really need – leaving many in the UK financially vulnerable from just living their everyday life. Consumer research from MetLife found that UK adults have previously needed, or would need, an average of £1,217 from their savings to support them should they need to take time off work or out of their business due to accident or illness. 

The Everyday Risk Report also includes the views of financial advisers who recommend and sell financial protection. These advisers are seeing a marked increase in the volume of customers wanting to protect themselves and help them say yes to living their everyday so they can enjoy moments like playing their favourite sport, gardening, or taking their dog for a walk. Almost three in ten advisers (29%) say their customers are more conscious about protecting their ‘everyday lives’ than ever before, and over a third (34%) are seeking this type of cover.

Despite the increased desire to protect themselves, the research found there’s still a knowledge gap on what the right type of cover is for their needs. 31% of advisers confirmed their clients had taken out the wrong type of protection before seeking advice, while 29% say that most customers have little understanding of the kinds of protection products available for them, with a quarter (25%) often not understanding the difference in financial protection offerings. 

Rich Horner, Head of Individual Protection at MetLife commented: “Accidents are far from a rare occurrence, and the Everyday Risk Report exposes the raw facts; that the scale of hospital visits continues to grow. The simplest of daily tasks gone wrong can turn your whole life around. Imagine falling out of bed, falling over on your way to work or having a serious asthma attack while kicking a ball around. And the financial difficulties an injury or illness can cause shouldn't be underestimated. Trying to get better with financial concerns while you are earning less, or not at all, can have a real impact both at the time, and far into the future.

“We understand the impact that a simple accident or illness can have. Yet many in the UK don’t, and still only protect themselves with policies that pay for the most serious of illnesses, or for their death. We want people to feel confident in saying yes to enjoying their life without concern for the ramifications, which is why we offer a range of protection products that cover accidents and hospitalisation.  

“One reason we created the UK's first Everyday Risk Report is to help advisers understand and easily communicate their clients' risks. But as an industry we also need to collectively help improve people’s understanding of the types of protection cover available – ones that help relieve financial stress and worry for everyday people who just want to live their best lives, every single day.”

 Everyday (and some not-so-everyday) categories2

¹The first edition of The Everyday Risk Report has been created from a comprehensive range of data sources including The Office for National Statistics (ONS), the NHS, employment data and MetLife’s own specially commissioned adviser research. 

The UK population at mid-year 2022 was estimated to be 67.6 million, an increase of 6.8% since 2011. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2022#:~:text=The%20UK%20population%20at%20mid,square%20kilometre%20at%20mid%2D2022. 

Censuswide conducted research on behalf of MetLife UK, with 500 financial advisers who recommend and/or sell financial protection products (including: Life insurance, Income protection, Critical illness cover, Personal accident cover, Private medical, Family income benefit, Whole of life, Term life, Mortgage cover, Standalone child protection policy, Accident and sickness cover) between 11.06.2024 and 19.06.2024. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.

Censuswide conducted research on behalf of MetLife UK, with 3,021 consumers between 19.06.2024 - 24.06.2024. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Coun