What to expect

Summary

Wondering what to expect at your cardiology appointment? Dr Ravi Assomull outlines how consultations are designed to be thorough, efficient and convenient, with many essential tests arranged on the same day to help reach a diagnosis quickly.

Transcript

When you come to see me, we start by getting to understand what your concerns are. This may be from information that's provided in your referral letter or what you tell us during your consultation. Where possible, we try and set some time aside for some simple investigations on the actual day where we meet. Based on our discussion, we may arrange further investigations. We try to make this convenient for you by grouping them together in one day, ideally straight after each other. This is what we call a one-stop service. It's helpful if you bring any previous letters. These may be from previous specialists you've seen, other cardiologists or from your GP. The key information we'd like to glean from this is whether you've had any tests done already. And if you have, we can simply use that information without repeating those investigations. This allows us to reach our conclusions faster and hopefully reassure you sooner. You don't always need a referral letter to see me. If you're a self-funding patient, this isn't necessary. However, if you're using a private medical insurance, some insurers will actually insist that you have a GP referral letter. Things have moved on, so a lot of insurance companies are now actually providing their own GP service to help with this.

Summary

Bringing previous test results and clinic letters helps make your first consultation more effective. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains what information is useful to bring and why sending it in advance is helpful.

Transcript

When you first come and see me it would be really helpful if you could bring any test results or letters from previous consultations you may have had. That may be with your GP, another cardiologist or with another specialty that's relevant to your current symptoms. Ideally it's best if these are sent ahead of your appointment so that by the time I meet you I've actually had a chance to review what's going on and we can then really use our time together to focus on your concerns and figure out what the next steps are and how we get you feeling better again.

Summary

Additional tests may be required to reach a complete diagnosis. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains how existing NHS results are used and when further testing is helpful.

Transcript

So when you come and see us, it may actually be the case that you don't need more tests. If you've had tests with your GP or in the NHS, we make utmost efforts to secure those results around the time of your consultation. So we can use that information without having to repeat any tests, which is obviously not something that adds any value at all. However, we also need to acknowledge that to make a full diagnosis, you may need further tests that haven't yet been provided from your previous consultations or your experience in the NHS.

Summary

After test results are available, a follow up plan is created to address symptoms and monitoring needs. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains what patients can expect after their consultation.

Transcript

Typically after we have all your results available to us, and that may be the results of tests we've organised or the results from tests you've had previously, we arrange a follow-up appointment to go through everything and formulate a plan on how to treat any symptoms you may have, and also to plan ahead of what monitoring you may need for any condition we diagnose.

Summary

Seeing a cardiologist does not always require a GP referral, depending on how your appointment is funded. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull, a Private Cardiologist in London, explains referral requirements for self funded and insured patients.

Transcript

If you'd like to come and see me, the good news is you don't necessarily need a referral. This is certainly the case of your self-funding for your appointment. Now, if you're using your private medical insurance, most insurance companies will insist on a GP referral. But the good news is that a lot of these insurance companies now provide their own in-house GP service that you can use for a quick review and a prompt referral.

Summary

Private cardiology tests mirror NHS investigations but are delivered differently. In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull explains how speed, convenience, and test clustering benefit patients.

Transcript

The tests we provide are identical to the tests that are available in the NHS. We don't provide anything further above and beyond what the NHS provides. However, there are some differences in the way we deliver these tests. The first thing to say is we do this quickly. We don't want you to wait and worry about the possible results of these investigations. And the second thing to say is we don't want you going backwards and forwards to have tests. We tend to try and cluster all your appointments together. So all your tests are done typically in one trip to us. Obviously, if you have a large number of tests, that may not be possible. But then we try and restrict it to times that work for you and to minimise the number of visits you make to our clinic.

Summary

At Dr Ravi Assomull’s clinic, everything is built around you. From same-day testing to prompt follow-up appointments, this one-stop cardiology service is designed to deliver fast answers and expert care with minimal disruption to your schedule.

Transcript

My clinic has been set up so we ensure that you are very much at the centre of everything we do. We achieve this by providing you with a concierge service where we try and get all your tests done on the same day as your consultation with me. Critically, we arrange a prompt follow-up so that we can go through the results and either reassure you or explain what the problem is and provide you with the necessary treatment.

Transcript

As an integrative cardiologist, I use all the standard treatments and tests that are available in traditional cardiology. I also focus on your holistic health with a real emphasis on sleep, nutrition and exercise. I can utilise novel biomarkers and other tests such as VO2max and Dexascans of body composition to assist me with this.

Transcript

We know that 80% of cardiovascular disease can be prevented by lifestyle modification. That's why I believe integrative cardiology is very important for you.