Jaskeet Briah

Provider, Royal London, has recorded a rise in sales for protection in the first half of 2026 (H1 2026), following updates to its income protection (IP) offering and continued momentum in high net-worth business.

More than half (55%) of employees would like more personalised health and wellbeing support, with 61% saying they would engage more if interventions were tailored to what they need, according to Vitality.

Search interest in ‘private medical insurance’ increased by 150% over the past year, according to Google Trends analysis from The Exeter.

Nearly one fifth (18%) of UK adults do not have or cannot identify a long-term financial goal, according to Scottish Friendly.

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) has found that 65% of customers believed sharing mental health information with insurers will lead to declined cover.

Health cash plan provider, Simplyhealth, has appointed Sonya Bryson as managing director, effective 19 August 2026.

Digital provider, Eleos, has partnered with Homebox to embed its life insurance and income protection solution into the platform.

Customers have been reconnected to more than £2.5bn in lost and forgotten pensions, investments, savings and protection policies in the first half of 2026, by participating financial services firms in industry campaign, Billions 4 Millions.

Private healthcare admissions increased to 247,495 in Q1 2026, rising by nearly 1,000 from 246,550 the year prior and by around 4,000 from 243,000 in Q1 2024, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN).

The NHS waiting list increased by 56,000 patients in July 2026 to 7.33m, compared to 7.27m in June, according to NHS England.