A health insurer has revealed that it may provide its customers with free critical insurance cover.

LV= has announced that customers who purchase income protection insurance under its Flexible Protection Plan may be able to benefit from a free critical insurance cover if proposals go ahead.

Spokesperson Chris McFarlane of LV= said:    "Protecting your regular income should be at the heart of sound financial planning.

Worryingly, there is a clear consumer misconception that critical illness cover will provide the protection you need if you are unable to work due to long-term sickness or an accident. In many cases the real need is for a regular continuing income, rather than a lump sum payment provided by critical illness cover.

There are conditions that are not covered under critical illness policies, for example a back injury that could leave you experiencing financial difficulty if you are unable to work."

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the Primary Care Trusts have put £713 million aside to cover the expected growing costs of negligence from the National Health Service (NHS).

The NHS could be faced with a significant increase in the number of negligence claims soaring by 80 per cent.

Steve Walker, chief executive of the NHS litigation authority said: "The proportion of successful claims has gone up and is rising. Legal practices are businesses and why not try and double your income for the same amount of work."