Key points
The insurer decides what evidence it needs based on the application, cover requested and its current criteria. A request for evidence does not by itself mean that the application will be declined or offered at a higher price.
An insurer does not have automatic access to your NHS or GP records. It must use an appropriate process and obtain the required consent when it requests a qualifying medical report.
Answer each question accurately and to the best of your knowledge. If you cannot remember a detail or do not understand the wording, ask how the insurer or broker wants you to record the uncertainty.
| If you want to know | Go to |
|---|---|
| Whether everyone needs an examination | Do you need a medical for life insurance? |
| What evidence may be requested | Four types of medical evidence |
| Whether an insurer can see GP or NHS records | Can insurers access medical records? |
| Your rights when a GP report is requested | Can you see or correct a GP report? |
| What happens at an appointment | What happens at a medical examination? |
| What happens next | What happens after medical evidence is reviewed? |
This is process guidance, not medical advice or a prediction of an underwriting decision.
Do you need a medical for life insurance?
Not always. The insurer may consider the product, amount of cover, application answers and whether any information needs clarification.
No age, medical condition or cover amount automatically requires an examination across the whole market. Further evidence is an information-gathering step. It does not by itself mean that the application will be declined or offered at a higher price.
Can you get life insurance without a medical examination?
Yes, this can be possible. However, no medical examination does not mean no health questions or underwriting.
Important: A policy advertised as requiring no medical examination may still ask health questions and may have different limits, prices or terms.
Our life insurance without a medical examination guide explains how these products differ. A shorter application is not automatically easier, cheaper or more suitable.
Can you refuse a medical or report request?
You can decline the request, but the insurer may then be unable to complete the application. Ask why the evidence is needed and whether another acceptable route is available.
What medical evidence can a life insurer request?
The initial application, an interview, a clinician's report and a physical appointment are different processes. The insurer may use more than one route.
| Evidence | What it involves | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Health questions | Answers given in the application | Not automatic access to health records |
| Telephone interview | A structured discussion of relevant health information | Not necessarily a clinical consultation |
| GP or specialist report | Information requested from a treating clinician | Not normally an unrestricted copy of the whole record |
| Screening or examination | Requested measurements, samples or clinical assessment | No universal test package applies |
A broker may help you understand the insurer's questions, coordinate evidence requests and compare suitable application routes. It cannot guarantee acceptance, price or that medical evidence will not be required. Any published service description must match the broker's approved process, panel, advice status and fees.
What health questions might you be asked?
Questions vary between insurers and products. Read the exact wording and the period covered rather than relying on a previous application.
An application may ask about:
- diagnoses, symptoms and investigations;
- treatment, medication and follow-up;
- physical and mental health;
- smoking, vaping and nicotine use;
- alcohol or substance use, where asked;
- family medical history, where asked; and
- relevant work, travel or activities.
Answer the question fully within its stated scope. Do not assume you must volunteer every medical detail regardless of what was asked. If you are unsure whether something falls within a question, ask the insurer or broker.
What if you make a mistake on the application?
Contact the insurer or broker as soon as you notice the error. Identify the question, give the corrected information and ask for written confirmation that the application has been updated. Keep the original saved copy rather than editing it.
The life insurance underwriting guide explains how application information fits into the wider assessment.
What happens during a telephone health interview?
A telephone interview lets the insurer collect more detail than the application form provides. The interviewer may ask about symptoms, treatment, medication, investigations and dates.
Say when you cannot remember a detail precisely. The interview is not necessarily a clinical consultation and does not replace advice from your own healthcare professional.
Before the call, check:
- who will conduct it;
- whether it will be recorded;
- who receives the answers; and
- how to correct or query the record.
If the call is recorded, the organisation should explain why, who can access it and how long it will be retained. Ask how to challenge an inaccurate record.
Can life insurance companies access your medical records?
No insurer has automatic, unrestricted access to your GP or NHS records. If medical information is needed, the insurer normally asks for your consent and requests a relevant report through an established process.
There is no universal look-back period. The authorised request, medical circumstances and insurer process determine the information and period covered.
A GP report will often answer defined questions using information relevant to the application. It is not normally a copy of your complete lifetime record. Consent to a report is not permission for unrestricted access to connected NHS systems. The doctor remains responsible for deciding what relevant information can properly be disclosed.
An insurer should not ask you to use your own subject-access rights to obtain wholesale medical records for underwriting. The established insurance-report process should normally be used. You can still make a genuine subject-access request for your own purposes.
What consent is needed for a medical report?
When the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 applies, the insurer must notify you and obtain your consent before requesting the report. The Act applies in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has separate legislation.
Read the consent information before agreeing. It should identify who is requesting the report, its purpose, the type or scope of information requested and how the information will be used.
What is a GP report for life insurance?
A GP report is requested from a doctor who has treated you. It uses relevant clinical information to answer the insurer's questions.
The report may cover:
- a diagnosis or symptoms;
- test results;
- treatment and medication;
- referrals and follow-up; and
- current status.
Doctors should provide substantiated, unbiased information relevant to the request and should not normally disclose the whole record.
Evidence from a consultant, nurse, screening provider, laboratory or insurer-appointed clinician is not necessarily a GP report. Access rights can differ according to who prepared the report and why.
The insurer commonly arranges and pays for a report it requests. Completion time depends on the practice, the questions and whether clarification is required. Ask the insurer whether the report has been requested and received before arranging or paying for anything yourself.
Can you see or correct a GP report before it is sent?
These statutory rights apply when an insurer requests a report from a doctor who is or has been responsible for your clinical care in England, Wales or Scotland.
- The insurer notifies you and asks for consent.
- You state whether you want to see the report before it is sent.
- If you request access, contact the doctor within the applicable 21-day period.
- Ask in writing for information you consider incorrect or misleading to be corrected.
- If the doctor refuses, ask for a statement setting out your view to be attached.
If you ask to see the report, the doctor must not normally send it until you have seen it and consented to its release, or 21 days have passed without you contacting the doctor to arrange access. Once you have seen it, the report cannot simply be sent when the 21 days expire. You must consent to its release.
You can withhold consent, but the insurer may then be unable to complete the application. You can also request access to a qualifying report supplied during the previous six months. A doctor may withhold information likely to cause serious harm or reveal protected information about another person. If only part is withheld, you should receive access to the remainder.
Northern Ireland has a separate regime under the Access to Personal Files and Medical Reports (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. Use the jurisdiction-specific information supplied with the request.
What happens at a life insurance medical examination?
There is no universal test package. The appointment may include:
- height and weight;
- blood pressure and pulse;
- blood or urine samples;
- health questions; and
- a clinical examination or another requested test.
Follow only the instructions from the appointed clinical provider. Do not change medication, delay treatment or attempt to alter a measurement or sample. Insurance screening is not medical care, so ask your own healthcare professional about symptoms or treatment.
Who carries out the examination?
Depending on the evidence requested, the appointment may be carried out by a nurse, doctor, phlebotomist or another suitably trained professional. The provider should confirm the location, preparation and procedures in advance.
Raise mobility, communication, interpretation or companion needs early. Ask what arrangement can be provided before attending, and do not rely on an informal family interpreter where accurate medical and consent information is important. Ask the insurer before arranging any examination independently.
Will you receive the medical results?
Ask the clinical provider which results, if any, will be shared with you and who will explain them. An underwriting decision is not a diagnosis or clinical consultation.
Ask what the provider does if it identifies a clinically significant or unexpected finding. If you have an urgent health concern, seek medical care rather than waiting for the insurer or broker. They should not be presented as providing a diagnosis.
Can an insurer ask for genetic-test results?
Under the Government and ABI Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance, participating insurers must not require or pressure applicants to take a predictive or diagnostic genetic test. They do not normally ask for or use predictive test results.
Current exception: A participating insurer can ask for a predictive Huntington's disease result where the total life insurance sought is more than £500,000 per person.
Results obtained exclusively through scientific research must not be requested or used. Diagnostic tests that investigate or confirm an existing condition are treated differently and can form part of relevant medical information. Insurers can also ask permitted family-history questions.
The Code contains limited provisions for favourable predictive results supplied voluntarily. Check current ABI guidance before disclosing one. Recheck the Code, threshold and participating insurers before applying or publishing this guidance.
Who arranges and pays for medical evidence?
When an insurer requests medical evidence for its application, it will commonly arrange and pay for it. Check the instructions and ask before arranging or paying for anything yourself.
- Confirm who will contact you.
- Read the preparation and consent information.
- Raise accessibility needs early.
- Rearrange promptly if necessary.
- Ask before paying for anything yourself.
How is life insurance medical information protected?
Health and genetic information receive additional protection under data-protection law. The insurer's privacy notice should explain why the information is collected, who receives it, how long it is retained and how to exercise your rights.
The insurer, broker, reinsurer, medical provider and treating clinician may receive different information for different purposes. A broker does not necessarily receive every GP report, test result or interview recording. The privacy information should explain which application and medical information it can access.
A lawful insurance purpose does not permit unlimited collection of medical information. Withdrawing permission for a new report does not necessarily require an organisation to erase information it has already processed lawfully. Retention and erasure rights must be considered separately.
The detailed lawful basis, special-category condition, organisational roles and safeguards must be confirmed in compliance review and the approved privacy notices.
How do you correct an error in medical information?
Use the route that matches the source of the problem.
| Problem | First step |
|---|---|
| Wrong application answer | Contact the insurer or broker |
| Factual error in the report | Use the report-access and correction process |
| Error in the underlying health record | Contact the clinician or practice |
| Disagreement with a clinical opinion | Raise it with the clinician |
Disagreement does not automatically make a clinical opinion factually incorrect. Keep a dated record and tell the insurer where a correction affects the application evidence.
What happens after medical evidence is reviewed?
The underwriter considers the evidence with the application. The process may include another request before a decision is made.
Questions → evidence request → consent or appointment → underwriting review → possible follow-up → decision
Possible outcomes include:
- further clarification;
- additional evidence;
- standard or changed terms;
- postponement; or
- decline.
A medical examination does not guarantee acceptance or a particular price. The underwriting guide explains the outcomes in more detail. If cover is offered, read the policy documents before deciding whether the terms meet your needs.
Are medical records checked during a life insurance claim?
An insurer may request relevant medical evidence when assessing a claim, for example to confirm the insured event or review application information. The process after death differs from the application-stage report process.
In Great Britain, the deceased person's personal representative and some people with a claim arising from the death can have statutory access rights, subject to restrictions. Northern Ireland has separate rules. A beneficiary or relative does not automatically have unrestricted access.
Ask what information is required, why it is relevant and who has authority to obtain it. The life insurance payouts guide explains the full claim process.
Questions about medical evidence and support
These final questions cover changes during an application and support at an appointment.
What if you need support or an adjustment?
Tell the insurer and appointed provider early about mobility, communication, interpretation or companion needs. Ask what can be provided before attending. Where accurate medical and consent information matters, use an arrangement approved by the provider rather than relying on an informal interpreter.
What if you become unwell while the application is being assessed?
Get medical care first. Then follow the insurer's instructions about changes to application answers before cover starts.
After ordinary life cover starts, there is not normally a general duty to report later health changes unless information is required for a policy change, reinstatement or claim. Check the policy terms.
Can previous medical evidence be reused?
The new insurer decides whether earlier evidence is recent, relevant and acceptable. Do not assume it will replace a new request.
If you are ready to apply, compare appropriate routes based on your circumstances. Do not choose a policy solely because it appears less likely to require medical evidence.
