General & Medical (G&M) Elite Review: Pros, Cons & What's Included

At a glance: From £51/month · Comprehensive tier · Best for: unique benefits not found elsewhere, limited pre-existing condition cover, open hospital access · Excess options: £0–£500

What is General & Medical Elite?

General & Medical is an independent UK private medical insurer that's earned its place among the UK's top-10-rated PMI providers by doing something genuinely different from the larger composite insurers: rather than a rigid tiered hospital list, it operates an open-referral, recognised-provider model that typically gives access to most major UK private hospital groups — Spire, Nuffield, Circle, and Ramsay — subject to pre-authorisation. Its flagship Elite plan also includes several benefits that exist nowhere else in the UK PMI market.

Who this plan is actually for

• Buyers specifically drawn to G&M's unique benefits — private childbirth cover, a pet boarding allowance, and a critical illness cash benefit — none of which are standard features at competing insurers
• People with one or two specific, manageable pre-existing conditions who've faced blanket exclusions elsewhere and want the option to have a condition covered (subject to terms)
• Anyone who values flexible, broker-tailored hospital access over a fixed tiered list, and is comfortable confirming specific hospital coverage case by case

Pros

• Unique benefits found nowhere else in the UK market: private delivery of babies (childbirth cover), a £250 pet boarding allowance, and a critical illness cash benefit — genuinely distinctive additions to a standard PMI policy
• Option to cover up to two pre-existing conditions from a defined list of 14, up to £1,000 each per year — a real option for applicants who'd otherwise face a blanket exclusion at most mainstream insurers
• Joint-highest NHS cash benefit in the market, at £250 per night for up to 30 nights if you choose NHS treatment over claiming privately
• Open-referral hospital access rather than a rigid tiered list, typically covering the UK's major private hospital groups (Spire, Nuffield, Circle, Ramsay) subject to pre-authorisation — more flexible in principle than fixed hospital-list insurers, though specific access still needs confirming case by case
• A genuinely differentiated product in a market where most insurers compete on largely similar core benefits — worth a look specifically if the standard offerings from Bupa, AXA or Aviva don't fit your situation

Cons

• No traditional no-claims discount structure — unlike most competitors, there's no clear mechanism reducing your premium over time for staying claim-free, which is a genuine gap if NCD matters to you
• Limited ways to reduce your premium compared to insurers like Aviva, which offers seven excess levels and multiple cost-reduction tools — G&M's flexibility here is narrower
• The virtual GP service cannot refer you directly to a specialist — referrals must come through your NHS GP, an extra step that several competitors (AXA's Doctor at Hand, Bupa's Blua Health) have removed from their digital pathways
• Significant deferment periods apply to many benefits, including a six-month wait for mental health cover — worth checking the specific deferment period for any benefit that matters to you before assuming it's available from day one
• Low review volume — a 4.1/5 Trustpilot rating from 375 total reviews, with only around 79 in the past 12 months, makes it harder to draw firm conclusions about current service levels compared to insurers with tens of thousands of reviews
• Specific hospital access isn't published as a fixed list the way Bupa's or AXA's networks are — because plans are broker-tailored, you'll need to confirm access to a specific hospital directly with G&M or a broker rather than checking a public list

What's included as standard

Benefit	Coverage
Cancer cover	Full
Mental health	Included, with a six-month deferment period
Outpatient cover	Full, plus £250/night NHS cash benefit up to 30 nights
Therapies (physio etc.)	Included
Dental & optical	Optional add-on
No-claims discount	Not offered in the traditional sense
Excess options	£0, £100, £250, £500
Pre-existing conditions	Option to cover up to 2 from a list of 14, up to £1,000 each/year

What it costs

Indicative pricing starts from around £51/month, positioning it competitively against the major composite insurers while offering a genuinely different benefit set. The value of this plan depends heavily on whether its specific unique features — childbirth cover, pet boarding, limited pre-existing condition cover — actually matter to your situation; if none of them do, you may find better all-round value at a more conventional insurer.

How it compares

G&M's closest positioning is as an alternative for buyers who've found mainstream insurers' standard exclusions too rigid — particularly around pre-existing conditions. For a comparison against the market's largest insurer, see our Bupa By You Comprehensive review; for buyers specifically prioritising flexible underwriting for complex medical histories, also compare against The Exeter.

Should you choose this plan?

This plan suits you if one of its distinctive features — childbirth cover, pet boarding allowance, or the option to insure a manageable pre-existing condition — is directly relevant to your circumstances. If none of those apply to you, the lack of a traditional no-claims discount and the smaller review base make it a less obvious first choice than Bupa, Aviva, or AXA for straightforward comprehensive cover.

A whole-of-market broker can see this plan alongside every other option on the table, including ones that might suit you better once your full circumstances are taken into account — which is why speaking to one before you buy is usually worth the five minutes it takes.

Speak to an adviser

Prefer to go direct? Get a quote from General & Medical's own site →

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Prices and features in this review are indicative and based on publicly available product information and independent market research. Your actual premium, and whether a specific pre-existing condition can be covered, will depend on your age, postcode, medical history and chosen cover options. This article is for general information only and is not financial or insurance advice — always confirm current terms with General & Medical or a regulated broker before purchasing.