INSURER LV= is expecting a rise in cancer-related claims after the Covid crisis reduced access to screenings and urgent GP referrals.

The County Gates-based protection specialist paid out £15million in cancer claims between January and May, similar to the level of claims in 2020.

But it anticipates a rise after figures from Cancer Research UK, which showed roughly 45,000 fewer cancer patients started treatment between April 2020 and March 2021 than in the previous year.

The LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor, a quarterly survey of 4,000 UK consumers, suggests 3.7million people – or seven per cent – had a family member who had experienced delays to medical diagnosis, operation or treatment. Among women, this rose to one in 10.

Debbie Kennedy, protection director at LV=, said: “Cancer remains the leading cause for critical illness claims and top three for income protection.

“Although the NHS is working to overcome delays caused by the Covid outbreak, the reduction of cancer referrals will continue to impact protection claims and the industry as a whole. Limited early intervention treatment and delays in cancer diagnosis will make certain cases harder to treat, leading to a potential rise in cancer-related claims.

“We have not yet reached a peak of advanced cancer cases, and we expect this will take longer to be seen in claims experience across all protection products.

“It is important that claimants continue to receive timely financial and emotional support. LV= has continued to be flexible, going beyond simply paying a claim to provide valuable support services to customers and their families.”

Last year, LV= predicted a surge in advanced stage cancer diagnoses in 2021 because of a slowdown in screenings. This is likely to affect protection claims once the backlog currently faced by the NHS is cleared.

May 2020 saw a 47 per cent drop in urgent cancer referrals compared with the previous year, with 2,700 fewer cancer diagnoses each week.

LV= saw a 45 per cent drop in critical illness claims that month compared with figures from February 2020.

The proportion of cancer patients starting treatment within two months at Poole and Bournemouth hospitals fell to a record low in February, although services were said in early June to be getting back on track.