What to Expect During a Private Cardiology Appointment
A private cardiology appointment usually lasts long enough for a consultant cardiologist to go through your symptoms and medical history, examine you, check your blood pressure and, in most cases, arrange an ECG or other heart test. You leave with a clear plan, whether that is reassurance, further tests or treatment. At Heartsure in Kingston upon Thames, appointments are usually arranged within a few days of referral, a new consultation costs £250 for self-funding patients, and many patients can be seen, scanned and diagnosed in a single visit.
The main difference from waiting for an NHS clinic is speed and continuity. You choose when to be seen, the same consultant reviews your test results, and most tests can be done in the same building. This guide covers how to book, what happens on the day, what tests may follow and what it costs, so you know exactly what to expect before you walk in.
Why people choose a private cardiology appointment
Most people book privately because they want answers sooner. At the end of June 2026, NHS England figures showed 372,094 people waiting for cardiology treatment in England, with 68.2% waiting under 18 weeks against a national standard of 92%. That leaves almost a third of cardiology patients waiting more than four months.
For someone with palpitations, chest tightness or breathlessness, that wait can be worrying even when the cause turns out to be harmless. A private appointment suits anyone who wants a specialist opinion sooner, whether that is about a symptom their GP wants checked, a family history of heart disease, or a test result that needs explaining. If you are still deciding whether your symptoms need a cardiologist, that is a reasonable thing to raise with your GP first.
How to book
There are three routes into a private cardiology appointment at Heartsure.
GP or clinician referral. Your GP can send a referral letter or the clinic's referral form directly.
Self-referral. You can refer yourself for a consultation, or self-refer for a diagnostic test such as an ECG, echocardiogram or 24-hour blood pressure monitor, without a GP letter.
Health insurance. If you are insured, contact your insurer first and get a pre-authorisation code or claim number. Heartsure is recognised by the major UK insurers, including Bupa, AXA, Aviva, Vitality and WPA.
One point catches insured patients out. Some insurers will not cover care unless a healthcare professional made the referral. We've found it is far easier to check this with your insurer before booking than to discover it afterwards, because if the policy does not cover the appointment, the cost falls to you.
What to bring
A little preparation makes the consultation more useful.
A list of every medicine you take, including doses, supplements and anything you have recently stopped.
Any previous ECGs, scan reports or blood test results, especially from hospital admissions.
A short note of your symptoms, including when they started, how long they last, what brings them on and what eases them.
Family history, particularly any close relative who had heart disease, a sudden death or a heart rhythm problem at a young age.
Readings from a home blood pressure monitor or smartwatch, if you have them.
Your insurance details and authorisation code, if you are using cover.
Smartwatch ECG recordings are worth bringing. They are not a substitute for a clinical ECG, but a recording taken during a symptom can help the consultant decide which test to do next.
What happens during the consultation
The appointment is one to one with a consultant cardiologist. At Heartsure, that means one of seven consultant cardiologists, all former NHS consultants, who between them cover areas from heart failure and angina to rhythm problems and cardiac imaging.
Your history
Most of the consultation is conversation. The cardiologist will ask about your symptoms in detail, your general health, your lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol and exercise, and your family history. Be specific. "My heart races for about ten minutes after climbing stairs" is far more useful than "I get palpitations".
The examination
The cardiologist will usually check your pulse and blood pressure, listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope, and look for signs such as ankle swelling. You may be asked to remove your top layer of clothing, so wear something easy to change out of.
An ECG
Many consultations include a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), a quick, painless test that records the heart's electrical activity through small sticky electrodes on the chest, arms and legs.
In our experience, having the ECG on the same day as the consultation works better than booking it separately because the cardiologist can review the trace with you while your symptoms are fresh in the conversation, rather than at a second appointment. It also costs less. Heartsure's published fee for a 12-lead ECG is £89, or £79 when it is done on the day of a consultation.
Tests that may follow
Depending on what the history and ECG show, the cardiologist may recommend one or more further tests. At Heartsure, most of these are carried out on site.
Test | What it looks at | Self-funded fee |
12-lead ECG | Heart rhythm and electrical activity | £89 (£79 on consultation day) |
24-hour ECG monitor | Rhythm over a full day | £300 |
24-hour blood pressure monitor | Blood pressure across day and night | £250 |
Echocardiogram | Heart structure, valves and pumping | £450 |
Exercise test | Heart response to exertion | £300 |
Stress echocardiogram | Heart muscle and blood flow under stress | £945 |
CT coronary angiogram | Narrowing in the coronary arteries | £1,140 |
A standard echocardiogram usually takes 30 to 45 minutes and needs no special preparation. A stress echo is different. You may be asked to stop beta blockers and some other heart medicines 48 hours beforehand, so always check the instructions you are sent. A blood test may be needed before a CT coronary angiogram, so confirm this before booking it.
It helps to know who tells you what. The sonographer who performs an echocardiogram writes the report but cannot interpret the results for you. Your consultant does that, and explains what happens next.
After the appointment
By the end of the consultation you should know what the cardiologist thinks is going on and what the next step is. That might be reassurance with no further action, more tests, a change to your medication, or a referral for a procedure.
If tests are arranged, a follow-up consultation is often booked to go through the results. At Heartsure, a self-funded follow-up costs £200. If you are worried about the cost of further tests, ask the consultant which are essential and which are optional. That is a reasonable question, and a good cardiologist will answer it plainly. It is also worth asking whether a copy of the clinic letter will be sent to your GP, so your records stay joined up.
For patients recovering from a heart attack, stent or bypass surgery, the next step may be cardiac rehabilitation. Heartsure began as a rehabilitation and prevention service in 2012, and from working with patients since then, we've kept the programme one to one. It starts with a two-hour assessment, followed by weekly 75-minute sessions that each begin with a health check.
Private cardiology costs at a glance
For self-funding patients, the figures that matter most are these.
New consultation £250.
Follow-up consultation £200.
Fees are due within 14 days of the appointment, and payment can be made by card, bank transfer, online payment, cash or cheque.
Insured patients are billed through their insurer once the authorisation code has been confirmed, although any excess on your policy is normally paid by you. If you are weighing up private and NHS cardiology, it is worth remembering that the two work together. Many patients are seen privately for a quick diagnosis and then continue some of their care through the NHS.
Getting to the clinic
Heartsure is at 1 Brunswick Road, near Kingston Hospital. Parking is limited to one space at the rear, and the surrounding roads are permit only, with some pay and display bays on Park Road. The 371 bus stops directly outside, and Norbiton station is a six to eight minute walk away. If you are using the rear space, allow extra time, as lateness can mean an appointment has to be rescheduled.
When not to wait for an appointment
A private appointment is for symptoms that need checking, not for emergencies. Call 999 if you have chest pain that feels tight, heavy or crushing, pain spreading to your arm, neck or jaw, severe breathlessness, or if someone collapses and is not responding normally.
Book your appointment
A private cardiology appointment is a one-to-one consultation with a specialist, usually followed by an ECG or other tests, with results explained by the same consultant. Bringing a medicines list, past results and a clear description of your symptoms will help you get the most from it.
Heartsure has provided cardiology care in Kingston upon Thames since 2012, is rated Good by the Care Quality Commission in all five areas it inspects, and offers same-day appointments where available. Contact us to book a consultation or to ask which test is right for you.
