The Everyday Risk Report 2024 from MetLife UK reveals the extent to which everyday accidents and illnesses are impacting the health and finances of UK residents. Based on National Health Service (NHS), Office for National Statistics (ONS) and MetLife-commissioned research, the report highlights the scale of unplanned hospitalisations and the financial vulnerability many people face as a result.

According to the findings, over 53,000 people attend hospital daily in the UK, with one in 10 admissions caused by accidents. The most common include falls and trips (453,004), accidental poisoning (85,283), and transport accidents (59,701). More than three-quarters of these result in further treatment or time off work.

The report paints a stark financial picture: 48% of UK families have less than £1,500 in savings, and 20% have none at all. For groups such as the self-employed, lone parents, and unpaid carers, the financial strain of even short-term illness or injury can be acute. Self-employed individuals, who make up 13% of the workforce, earn 21% less on average than full-time employees and have limited access to sick pay.

Chronic illnesses are also on the rise. Two in five adults now live with a long-term medical condition. Asthma admissions in children have surged by 149%, while diabetes accounts for one in six UK hospital beds. Meanwhile, sick leave has climbed by 26% since 2012, with the average UK worker now taking 5.7 days off per year.

Despite the prevalence of these risks, MetLife found that 86% of advisers whose clients had suffered an accident said they had no cover to protect against the financial fallout. MetLife’s own product range is designed to fill this gap, offering protection for incidents often excluded by traditional insurance, such as fractures, sports injuries, hospital stays and children’s accidents.

In 2024 alone, MetLife paid out over £27 million across 27,000 protection claims, with most processed in under five days.

As Rich Horner, Head of Individual Protection at MetLife UK, noted: “There is a big opportunity for protection advisers to use the information in this report to help educate their clients about the likelihood of everyday accidents and illnesses, from tripping over the dog and twisting your knee to an injury incurred while enjoying your favourite sport, or an asthma attack that sees you hospitalised for days.”

The ITIJ team recently explored whether British travellers are complacent about insurance, and what the industry can do to strengthen its position.