By Adam Surtees, Founder, Affinity Advice
We don’t start by selling. That’s not just something we say. It’s genuinely how every conversation begins.
Which means that sometimes, a doctor or dentist comes to us expecting to set up one thing, and we tell them they’d be better off with something else entirely. Or that what they’ve already been sold isn’t actually what they need most.
That’s not always a comfortable conversation. But it’s the right one.
And it’s the reason I’m writing this article.
The doctor who nearly bought the wrong cover
A resident doctor came to us not long ago. He’d just bought his first home. Single, no dependants, early in his career. His mortgage adviser had recommended life insurance and critical illness cover to protect the mortgage debt he’d just taken on.
It’s a standard recommendation. Most mortgage advisers make it for almost every new mortgage client. It’s easy to explain, easy to sell, and it’s not wrong exactly. It just isn’t always right.
He was about to go ahead when a colleague, who happened to be a client of ours, suggested he speak to us first.
So we had a conversation.
He was 31 years old. No financial dependants. No one relying on his income if he died. So the life insurance, while not harmful, wasn’t really necessary for his situation right now.
The critical illness cover was more interesting. But when we explained what it actually covered, something shifted.
His insurer’s policy covered a defined list of specified conditions. If he was diagnosed with something on that list, it would pay out and clear his mortgage. If he wasn’t on the list, nothing.
Then we explained income protection.
No list. Any illness. Any injury. Any mental health condition. Anything that kept him off work medically. Right through to retirement if needed. And because we have specialist access to rates specifically for NHS doctors, the premium for a top quality income protection policy was cheaper than the life and critical illness cover his mortgage adviser had recommended.
His response: “Well am I missing something? This sounds like a no brainer. Why hasn’t my mortgage adviser recommended this? Why doesn’t everyone have it?”
Why the mortgage adviser got it wrong. And why it’s not really their fault.
I want to be clear about something. The mortgage adviser wasn’t giving bad advice out of negligence or dishonesty. Their job is to find the right mortgage. Protection is secondary to that. And for a general client with a mortgage, life and critical illness cover is a reasonable starting point.
But a doctor isn’t a general client. Their income structure is different, their career is different, their risks are different, and the products available to them are different.
A generalist adviser, however well intentioned, often doesn’t understand the intricacies of a medical career, the NHS sick pay structure, or what’s truly at stake when a doctor can’t work. That’s not a criticism. It’s just the reality of working across every profession rather than one.
This is precisely why specialist advice exists.
The stat that changes the conversation
Here’s something most people don’t know.
According to Aviva claims data from 2025, over 50% of income protection claims were for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions.
Burnout. Depression. Anxiety. Back injuries. Repetitive strain. The physical and psychological toll of a demanding career.
These are the conditions that actually keep doctors off work. Not the dramatic diagnoses. The everyday ones.
And here’s the critical point: broadly, musculoskeletal and mental health conditions cannot be claimed for under critical illness cover.
The product most mortgage advisers recommend to doctors doesn’t cover the two most common reasons doctors actually claim.
When doctors ask us for the terms and conditions of an income protection policy, the next call is almost always the same. “Where’s the list of conditions?” There isn’t one. That takes a few minutes to sink in. Then comes the question: “So it would cover me if I broke my arm? If I was in a car accident? If I had mental health issues?”
Yes. Yes. Yes.
That’s when it clicks.
A 30-year mortgage and 6 months of sick pay
There’s another way to look at this that tends to land hard.
Our 31-year-old doctor had just taken out a 30-year mortgage. 360 monthly payments stretching out ahead of him.
His NHS sick pay would cover 6 of those months.
6 out of 360.
Let that sink in.
Critical illness cover would pay off the mortgage. But only if he was diagnosed with one of a defined list of specified conditions. Income protection would replace a portion of his income for any illness or injury, for as long as he needed it, right through to retirement.
When you put it like that, the choice becomes straightforward.
The honest caveats
I said at the start that we don’t always recommend what people come to us expecting. That cuts both ways.
Income protection isn’t always straightforward to obtain. From an underwriting perspective it can be harder to arrange than life cover or critical illness cover. For someone with certain health conditions, or a combination of issues, income protection may not be fully available to them. In those cases, critical illness cover may be easier to arrange and can absolutely have a place.
There are also situations where having both income protection and critical illness cover makes sense. They’re not mutually exclusive. A lump sum payout from a critical illness policy and a monthly income from income protection can work together very well.
But for most doctors, fit, well, with an income and financial obligations, income protection should be the foundation. Not an afterthought. Not something added later if there’s budget left over. The foundation.
The FCA’s own research found that income protection has the lowest uptake of any pure protection product in the UK, and that the product is widely described by the industry itself as one that is “sold, not bought.” People don’t go looking for it. They need someone to explain it properly.
When someone does explain it properly, the reaction is almost always the same. Why doesn’t everyone have this?
If you already have critical illness cover
If you’re reading this and you have critical illness cover in place, you’re in a better position than many. It has value. I’m not suggesting you cancel it.
But if that’s all you have, most people’s honest assessment is: I’m probably fine.
It’s worth asking whether probably is good enough.
What happens if you can’t work and it isn’t one of those specified conditions?
Burnout. A back injury. Depression. A broken wrist from a cycling accident. These aren’t on the list.
Are you comfortable putting over a decade of training, your mortgage, your family’s lifestyle, everything you’ve worked for, at risk on a probably?
If the answer is no, or even maybe, it’s worth having a conversation.
One of our specialist advisers will review your current situation, your existing coverage, and what options are genuinely available to you. It takes about thirty minutes and there’s no obligation. If what you have is right for your situation, we’ll tell you that.
We’re advisers. Not salespeople. There’s a difference.
About the author
Adam Surtees is the founder of Affinity Advice, a UK protection advisory firm specialising exclusively in income protection, life cover, and critical illness insurance for doctors and dentists.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
