When a colleague or friend of a similar age has a heart attack, it is natural to wonder about your own heart, especially if you share the same long hours, travel and stress. A proper heart risk assessment can answer that question far better than worry. It starts with your history and family history, measures the things that drive heart disease, and adds further tests only where they would change what you do.
Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated 14 November 2026.
Arrange your heart check on WhatsApp
Key points
Chest pain, breathlessness or pain spreading to the arm or jaw needs 999, not a screening appointment.
Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, smoking and family history drive most heart risk.
A risk score combines these into an estimate for the next ten years.
Further tests such as a calcium score are useful for some people, not everyone.
A GP consultation is £150, with blood panels from £650.
First, is this urgent?
If you have chest pain or tightness, pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, breathlessness, sweating or feeling faint, call 999. These symptoms need emergency care, not a screening appointment. If you have chest discomfort on exertion that eases with rest, see a doctor promptly.
What drives heart risk?
Blood pressure
Cholesterol, including LDL and non-HDL cholesterol
Blood sugar and diabetes
Smoking, now or in the past
Weight and waist size
Family history of heart disease at a young age, in a parent or sibling
Kidney function and some inflammatory conditions
Stress, poor sleep and heavy drinking add to these, partly by raising blood pressure.
What does a heart risk assessment include?
A detailed history, including family history and any symptoms on exertion
Blood pressure measured properly
Blood tests for cholesterol, blood sugar, kidney function and other markers your doctor suggests
A risk score, which estimates your chance of a heart attack or stroke over ten years
An ECG where your doctor advises one
Which further tests might help?
Some people benefit from more detailed tests, for example when their risk sits in a grey zone or there is a strong family history. These can include apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein(a), and a CT coronary calcium score, which shows calcium in the walls of the heart arteries. Your doctor will explain whether a test is likely to change your plan before suggesting it, because tests that do not change anything can cause worry without benefit.
What happens if my risk is raised?
Your doctor will talk you through the options, which may include changes to diet, exercise, alcohol and sleep, and medicines such as a statin or blood pressure treatment where NICE guidance supports them. You receive a written summary, and our team arranges any follow-up so nothing is left for you to chase.
What does it cost?
Most people begin with a GP consultation, which is £150, where the doctor takes your history and agrees which tests are worth doing. Blood panels include Advanced Health at £650 and Longevity+ at £1,395. Scans, heart tests and specialist opinions are added only when your doctor recommends them, and every fee is confirmed with you before anything is booked.
How do I arrange an appointment?
Send us a message on WhatsApp with a few words about what you would like help with, and we will offer you the earliest time with one of our doctors. Appointments run from 7am to 9pm every day by video, and in person at our clinics in Marylebone and Belgravia. You do not need a referral, and you do not need to be registered with an NHS GP.
After your appointment you receive a written summary of what was discussed. Our team then arranges any tests, prescriptions or referrals your doctor recommends, and keeps you updated at each step, so nothing is left for you to chase.
Frequently asked questions
I feel well. Do I need a heart check?
Many people with raised heart risk feel completely well. A check is the only way to know your numbers.
Should I have a calcium score scan?
It helps some people, particularly when risk is borderline or family history is strong. Your doctor will advise.
Is an ECG enough to rule out heart disease?
No. A resting ECG can be normal even when the arteries are narrowed. It is one part of the assessment.
What if I have chest pain now?
Call 999 if you have chest pain, pain spreading to the arm or jaw, or breathlessness.
How much does it cost?
A GP consultation is £150. Blood panels include Advanced Health at £650 and Longevity+ at £1,395.
The Online GP is part of The Wellness, a doctor-led private healthcare group with clinics at 10 Portman Square, Marylebone, and 9 Eccleston Street, Belgravia. All doctors are GMC-registered. Prescriptions are issued only after a consultation and clinical assessment, when the doctor judges them appropriate. In an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.
Message us on WhatsApp on +44 7961 280835 (ref OGP-heart-screening-after-a-colleague-heart-attack) and we will arrange your appointment.
Sources
NICE NG238, cardiovascular disease risk assessment and reduction
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