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
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm problem that makes your heartbeat irregular and often fast. At KONCEPT® in Kingston our cardiologist, Dr Ameer Al-Bassam, confirms it with an ECG or a Holter monitor, checks your heart with an echocardiogram if needed, works out your stroke risk and agrees a treatment plan with you.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. It matters because it raises the risk of a stroke, and treatment lowers that risk.
Some people have no symptoms at all, and AF is found by chance, for example at a blood pressure check or by a smartwatch.
Do not drive yourself to A&E.
When atrial fibrillation is suspected, our cardiologist in Kingston checks your pulse and records a 12 lead ECG, as NICE recommends. Because AF can come and go (paroxysmal AF), a Holter monitor may be needed to catch it.
An echocardiogram also shows whether there is an underlying heart problem and helps plan long term treatment. Blood tests may also be done.
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
NICE recommends working out your stroke risk with a score called CHA2DS2-VASc, and your bleeding risk with a score called ORBIT. If your stroke risk score is 2 or more, NICE recommends a blood thinning medicine (an anticoagulant), taking your bleeding risk into account.
NICE also says anticoagulation should not be withheld only because of your age or a risk of falls, and that aspirin alone should not be used to prevent stroke in AF.
The cardiologist then explains your options and agrees a plan with you and your GP. Cardioversion and ablation are hospital procedures, so he refers you to a hospital of your choice if you need one.
An atrial fibrillation assessment at KONCEPT® in Kingston starts with a £200 consultation with the cardiologist. An ECG costs £119, a Holter monitor from £295 and an echocardiogram £450, 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 an atrial fibrillation 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 →AF is common and can be well controlled, but it raises the risk of a stroke. Treatment, including blood thinning medicine when it is needed, lowers that risk.
Some smartwatches can pick up an irregular rhythm. A 12 lead ECG or a Holter monitor is needed to confirm the diagnosis.
It is AF that comes and goes, usually stopping on its own. A Holter monitor can catch episodes that an ECG in the clinic misses.
It depends on your stroke risk score. If it is 2 or more, NICE recommends an anticoagulant, taking your bleeding risk into account.
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, atrial fibrillation and NICE NG196, atrial fibrillation: diagnosis and management.
46 to 48 Wood Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1UW · 020 8129 1011 · info@konceptmedicalclinic.com