HSF: health plans, cover and how it is regulated

HSF is a UK health insurer that sells health plans paying cash towards everyday medical costs, such as dental treatment, glasses and contact lenses, consultations and therapies. It trades as HSF, was formerly known as The Hospital Saturday Fund, and its website is hsf.co.uk¹.

The firm behind the brand is HSF Health Plan Limited, which appears on the Financial Services Register with the status Authorised and the firm reference number 202182¹. It also appears on the Bank of England's list of insurers incorporated in the UK that are authorised to carry out contracts of insurance, dated 1 September 2026². The company was incorporated on 19 February 1890 and remains active³.

If you are looking for the Household Support Fund, that is a different thing entirely: a government scheme run through local councils, not a health insurer. This page is about the health plan brand.

What HSF is: a UK health insurer

HSF sits in the part of the insurance market that pays cash towards health costs rather than providing private medical treatment itself. A plan of this kind typically reimburses a set amount towards things such as a dental check-up, a new pair of glasses, a physiotherapy session or a specialist consultation, up to whatever limits the plan sets. The cover is arranged by HSF; where a plan is underwritten by another insurer, that insurer carries the risk, and the plan documents name it.

That distinction matters when you are working out what protects you. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK's statutory compensation scheme, covers insurance taken out with UK-authorised firms that fail, alongside deposits, investments, pensions and mortgage advice⁴. So the question to ask about any health plan is not just what it pays out, but which authorised firm stands behind it.

Health insurance is not the same as protection insurance, which pays out on death, illness or loss of income. If that is what you are looking for, the protection insurance guide covers life cover, income protection and critical illness cover, and the insurance section covers the wider market.

From The Hospital Saturday Fund to HSF

The Hospital Saturday Fund is not a separate company. It is the former name of the same firm, and the Financial Services Register lists it under previous names while showing HSF as the current trading name¹. The company behind both names was incorporated on 19 February 1890³, which makes it one of the older names in UK health cover.

For a customer, the practical effect of a rebrand like this is small. Policies continue under the same firm, the same authorisation and the same reference number. What changes is the name on the paperwork, the website and the marketing. If you hold an older policy document or a certificate issued under The Hospital Saturday Fund name, it still refers to the same authorised firm, and the register entry is the record that ties the two names together¹.

The register entry also shows the firm's website address, which is the place to check current plan details¹. Names and addresses on the register are updated regularly, and the FCA is required to publish the register on its official website and update it on a regular basis⁵.

What HSF offers and where to find current plan details

HSF's product is health cover: plans that contribute towards the cost of everyday healthcare rather than paying for private treatment in full. The detail that matters to a buyer is what each plan reimburses, what it excludes, and what it costs, and all of that changes over time. This page does not carry plan prices or benefit limits, because those are set by the provider and published on its own site.

What can be said with confidence is where to look. HSF's website, listed on its Financial Services Register entry, carries the current plan documents, the amounts each plan pays towards treatment, and the application process¹. Before committing, it is worth reading the plan's terms for three things in particular:

• What is covered and what is not. Dental, optical and therapy costs are common categories; pre-existing conditions and cosmetic treatment are commonly excluded.
• How claims are paid. Whether you pay the provider and claim back, or the plan pays directly, changes how much cash you need up front.
• How the price changes with age. Health plan premiums commonly rise as you get older, and the plan documents set out how and when.

Where a plan is underwritten by another insurer, the plan documents name that insurer. That name is the one to check on the register if you want to know which firm ultimately stands behind the cover.

Who HSF plans are for and how to apply

Health cash plans of this kind tend to suit people who expect regular, predictable health costs, such as dental check-ups, eye tests and glasses, and who want a fixed contribution towards them rather than full private treatment. They are also used by people who want a route to faster access to a consultation without buying full private medical insurance. They are less suited to anyone whose main concern is a serious diagnosis or lost income, which is what protection insurance is designed for.

Applications are made through the provider. HSF's website carries the application route and the eligibility conditions for each plan¹. Two things are worth checking before applying:

1. Whether the plan accepts you. Health plans ask about your medical history, and the answers affect whether you are accepted and on what terms.
2. When cover starts. Plans commonly exclude treatment for conditions you already have, and there is usually a waiting period before you can claim for certain things.

If you are comparing this with other ways of covering health costs, the insurance section sets out how the different types of cover fit together, and the insurers directory lists providers operating in the UK market.

How HSF is authorised and regulated

HSF Health Plan Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, with the status Authorised effective from 1 December 2001¹. Insurance is also a prudentially regulated activity, and the firm appears on the Bank of England's list of insurers incorporated in the UK authorised to carry out contracts of insurance, dated 1 September 2026². In practice that means two regulators: the Prudential Regulation Authority for the firm's financial soundness, and the FCA for how it treats customers.

The FCA register shows what a firm is allowed to do and whether it is still trading⁶. That is the point of checking it: authorisation is not a general badge, it is a list of specific permissions. The register entry for HSF records its permissions, its trading name, its previous name and its website¹.

Two limits are worth knowing. The FCA cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information on the register and does not accept liability for errors or missing information⁷. And the register is not a quality mark: it tells you a firm is allowed to operate, not that a particular product is good value. For how regulation works more broadly, the financial regulation guide explains who makes the rules and how changes reach consumers.

Checking HSF on the FCA register

The register is free to search and takes a minute. Search using the firm reference number rather than the name, because that gives the most accurate results⁸. HSF's number is 202182¹.

The register entry should show the firm's status, its permissions, its trading names and its website¹. If a firm you are dealing with does not appear, or appears with different details from the ones you were given, that is a reason to stop and check further. The FCA publishes warnings about unauthorised firms, and these appear on the Firm Checker and the register when you search for the firm, with a full list on the FCA Warning List⁹.

Complaints about HSF and where to get help

Complain to HSF first. Its website carries the contact details and its complaints procedure¹. If the complaint is not resolved, the next step is the Financial Ombudsman Service, which can determine whether the provider treated you fairly and reasonably¹⁰. Complaints can be sent through the ombudsman's website, using an online form that guides you through the information it needs¹¹.

The ombudsman is free to consumers and covers a wide range of financial firms, including insurers. It is worth keeping a record of dates and what was said at each stage, because the ombudsman will ask for them.

If you are worried that a firm you have been dealing with is not authorised at all, the FCA's own guidance on checking a firm or individual sets out how to do it and what to do next¹². And if you think you have been the victim of fraud, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme has a contact route for reporting a suspected fraud involving it¹³.

How HSF policyholders are protected

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is the UK's statutory compensation scheme, and it is governed by the Policyholder Protection Rules¹⁵. It covers a range of financial products if a UK-authorised financial firm fails, including deposits, insurance, investments, pensions, mortgage advice and certain other regulated services⁴. It protects customers of authorised financial services firms if they fail or have stopped trading¹⁶.

That is the protection that would apply if a UK-authorised insurer failed and could not meet its obligations.

There are limits to be aware of. The scheme's protection is tied to the authorised firm, not the brand: where several brands share one licence, they count as a single provider for the limit¹⁷. And protection depends on the firm being authorised for the activity in question, which is why checking the register matters before you buy rather than after⁶.

If a firm fails, the scheme's own guidance sets out what happens before a claim is made and how the process works¹⁴. Its complaints process can be used over the phone or in writing, or through its contact form¹⁸. For the wider picture of what is and is not covered, the consumer protection guide covers the rules, the ombudsman and the compensation scheme together.