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
Shortness of Breath
If you have shortness of breath that is new or getting worse, or you are breathless with swollen ankles, our cardiologist at KONCEPT® in Kingston, Dr Ameer Al-Bassam, can check whether your heart is the cause with an ECG and an echocardiogram. No GP referral is needed if you pay for yourself.
Call NHS 111 urgently if you are more short of breath than usual, feel sick or are being sick, are coughing up blood, have pain or swelling in one leg, or have heart palpitations.
Most shortness of breath has other causes, such as asthma, a chest infection, being overweight, smoking or a panic attack. Heart failure, where the heart does not pump blood around the body as well as it should, is one of the more serious causes.
Heart valve problems and heart rhythm problems such as atrial fibrillation can also make you breathless.
See a doctor if your shortness of breath gets worse during your normal activities or when you lie down, or if you feel short of breath and have swollen ankles. These can be signs of a heart problem.
Getting out of breath on stairs or walking, more easily than you used to.
Needing extra pillows, or waking up short of breath at night.
Ankle or leg swelling together with breathlessness or tiredness.
A doctor has heard a murmur and you have not had a heart scan.
At KONCEPT® in Kingston, the cardiologist checks whether shortness of breath is coming from your heart by examining you and recording an ECG. An echocardiogram, an ultrasound scan of your heart, shows how well it pumps and how the valves work, and is the key test when heart failure or a valve problem is suspected.
NICE also recommends a blood test called NT-proBNP when heart failure is suspected. The cardiologist arranges any blood tests you need.
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
The cardiologist explains the result and the treatment options with you, and writes to your GP with your consent. Heart failure and heart valve problems are usually treated with medicines, and sometimes with a procedure at a hospital of your choice.
If your heart is not the cause, he tells you so clearly, and you can take the results back to your GP to look at other causes.
A shortness of breath assessment at KONCEPT® in Kingston starts with a £200 consultation with the cardiologist. An ECG costs £119 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 a shortness of breath 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 →Yes. Heart failure, heart valve problems and heart rhythm problems can all cause breathlessness, often with tiredness or swollen ankles. Most breathlessness has other causes, which is why tests help.
Breathlessness that is worse when you lie flat can be a sign of a heart problem, and it is worth seeing a doctor about it.
They can be, especially with breathlessness. Swollen ankles also have many other causes, such as standing or sitting for a long time, being overweight or some medicines.
About 30 to 40 minutes. It is painless, and you can go home straight afterwards.
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.
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, shortness of breath and NICE NG106, chronic heart failure in adults.
46 to 48 Wood Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1UW · 020 8129 1011 · info@konceptmedicalclinic.com