Zurich has teamed up with Further to provide a investigation and treatment service for cancer, heart, and neurological conditions, including cover for treatment abroad.

Accelerate can be added to any new Zurich Life, Critical Illness or Income Protection Policy at the point of sale or at any point during the life of the policy and can be cancelled at any time.

The offering is designed to provide customers with more choice and control over their healthcare decisions.

Accelerate can also help customers access precision cancer medicine and cancer clinical trials.

Customers will have flexibility when it comes to using any of the six services Zurich Accelerate offers. They can choose which services to use and when, with the option to combine them with public or private healthcare.

Zurich Accelerate is a complimentary service to both public and private healthcare and is not intended to replace either. It gives customers an alternative route and should be taken up in consultation with their GP.

Sam Wells, head of proposition innovation, said: “From my own personal experience, I have seen the challenges that you face when dealing with a cancer diagnosis and how important it is to be supported through a complex journey that can last years, spanning investigations, diagnosis, and treatment.

“Each service available with Accelerate has been designed around the experience my family had to provide our customers with fast access, choice, and control, through a complete service rather than a piecemeal solution.”

Customers who access the service will be guided through the process by a dedicated, clinically trained case manager. Policyholder’s children will also be automatically covered from birth up to their 22nd birthday.

Louise Colley, director of retail protection at Zurich Insurance, added: “Serious illnesses have been on the rise over the last decade with a 50% increase in heart disease and one in two people receiving a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.

“Accelerate provides a suite of options to those suffering symptoms by allowing them access to fast diagnoses and giving them access to leading treatment as quickly as possible. We’re incredibly proud that this new offering fills a gap in the market with a comprehensive solution covering investigation, diagnosis, and treatment.”