Around one in five (18%) parents claim their biggest concern when their child was in hospital – besides the health of their children – is having to take time off work.
This is according to MetLife UK research of more than 2,000 adults which found seven in 10 (72%) parents said their child or children had been in hospital at some point during their lives, with the average length of admission being seven days. Half (51%) were admitted for up to 48 hours.
On average, parents said their child or children had been in hospital three times in their lifetime, although more than a quarter (26%) confirm their child or children had been to hospital more than that.
As well as having to take time off work, having to tell their boss they cannot work (14%) also ranked highly, followed by having to use their annual leave (8%) and receiving a reduced income (7%).
Turning to the financial impact parents felt from their child or children being in hospital, more than one in seven (15%) parents did not get paid by their employer during this period. More than one in 10 (12%) had to cut back on luxuries. And almost the same number (11%) had to cut back on food and/or shopping.
One in 10 (10%) were forced to borrow money to make ends meet.
Rich Horner, head of individual protection at MetLife UK, (pictured) said: “Having our child(ren) in hospital is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“At what is an anxious and stressful time, the last thing parents need to worry about is having to take time off work. Thrown into the mix the financial impact and parents are under a lot of pressure.
“Besides the obvious health worries, there are additional cost concerns. Not just from having potentially unpaid time off work, but the costs associated with being in hospital – whether that’s parking or travel costs, purchasing consumables as well as other items needed.
“When a child is ill or involved in an accident, we want parents to be able to prioritise caring and supporting their child(ren) over financial worries. Investing in protection like MetLife UK’s new ChildShield product, which costs just £6 per month, means parents will still have financial support when it is needed most.”
