12 lead ECG
Your heart rhythm and electrical activity at rest, in about 10 minutes
Often used for palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, checks before treatment
Palpitations
Heart palpitations are a heartbeat you suddenly notice: racing, pounding, fluttering or skipping beats. They are usually harmless, but if they keep coming back, our cardiologist at KONCEPT® in Kingston, Dr Ameer Al-Bassam, can find the cause with an ECG and, if needed, a Holter monitor that records your heart through normal days. No GP referral is needed if you pay for yourself.
Heart palpitations are when your heartbeat suddenly becomes more noticeable. Your heartbeat may feel:
They can last a few seconds or much longer, and can happen at rest or during activity.
Palpitations are often caused by everyday triggers rather than a heart problem. Common causes include:
Sometimes they are caused by a heart rhythm problem, such as atrial fibrillation, or by another condition such as an overactive thyroid or anaemia. That is why palpitations that keep coming back are worth checking.
If you had these symptoms but they have now stopped, ask your GP surgery for an urgent appointment or call NHS 111.
If you feel well otherwise, see a doctor or book with our cardiologist if your palpitations keep coming back or are happening more often, last longer than a few minutes, or you have a heart condition or a family history of heart problems.
At KONCEPT® in Kingston, the first test for heart palpitations is a 12 lead ECG, which records your heart’s electrical activity in about 10 minutes and shows a rhythm problem if it happens during the recording.
Because palpitations often come and go, the cardiologist may ask you to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours to 7 days, which records every heartbeat through your normal days and nights. Blood tests can check for causes such as an overactive thyroid or anaemia, and an echocardiogram may be done if a heart condition is suspected.
Your heart rhythm and electrical activity at rest, in about 10 minutes
Often used for palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, checks before treatment
Every heartbeat through your normal days and nights
Often used for palpitations, dizzy spells or blackouts that come and go
Your blood pressure through a normal day and night
Often used for confirming or ruling out high blood pressure, checking treatment
The structure, pumping and valves of your heart
Often used for breathlessness, a heart murmur, swollen ankles, an abnormal ECG
A specialist assessment that decides which tests you need
Often used for any heart symptom or concern
Most palpitations do not need treatment. Cutting down on caffeine and alcohol, stopping smoking, sleeping well and managing stress often help.
If a heart rhythm problem is found, the cardiologist explains the treatment options with you. These may include medicines, or a referral for a procedure at a hospital of your choice.
A heart palpitations assessment at KONCEPT® in Kingston starts with a £200 consultation with the cardiologist. An ECG costs £119 and a Holter monitor from £295, each with a report. You only pay for the tests you have, and your total is confirmed in writing first.
Many private medical insurance policies cover a heart palpitations assessment when it is needed to investigate symptoms, if your policy includes outpatient cover. For your insurer to pay, the clinic and the cardiologist usually both need to be recognised by that insurer, and most insurers ask for a GP or open referral and a pre authorisation number first.
Please call 020 8129 1011 with your insurer and policy number before you book, so we can confirm your cover in writing. If you pay for yourself, no GP referral is needed.
You see Dr Ameer Al-Bassam, a specialist and interventional cardiologist on the GMC Specialist Register for cardiology, who also works in the NHS at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Ameer Al-Bassam
GMC: 7471608
Specialist and interventional cardiologist · Chelsea and Westminster NHS. Clinic dates: call 020 8129 1011.
Read full bio →Usually not. Most palpitations are harmless and caused by things like stress, caffeine or lack of sleep. They are worth checking if they keep coming back or last longer than a few minutes, and you need urgent help if they come with chest pain, shortness of breath or fainting.
Ectopic beats are extra or skipped heartbeats. They can feel like a flutter or a thump and are common. An ECG or a Holter monitor can show whether that is what you are feeling.
Yes. Stress and anxiety are common causes of palpitations. A heart rhythm problem can also feel like anxiety, so palpitations that keep coming back are worth checking.
A Holter monitor records your heart for 24 hours to 7 days, so it can catch palpitations that come and go. You note the time in a diary when you feel them.
No, not if you are paying for yourself. If you are using health insurance, your insurer will usually ask for a referral and a pre authorisation number first.
Yes. KONCEPT® is at 46 to 48 Wood Street in central Kingston, opposite Kingston station, a short trip from Wimbledon, Surbiton, New Malden and Richmond.
KONCEPT® Medical Clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Medical Director Dr Maryam Attarzadeh (GMC 7193218). Page medically reviewed by Dr Maryam Attarzadeh, 29 October 2026.
Clinical information: NHS, heart palpitations and NICE CKS, palpitations.
46 to 48 Wood Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1UW · 020 8129 1011 · info@konceptmedicalclinic.com