As we approach World Heart Day (Monday 29 September), a cardiology expert in the West Midlands is urging  patients to attend their first cardiac rehabilitation sessions, calling it one of the most important factors to improve their quality of life following a heart attack.

In the West Midlands, only 9% of patients with newly diagnosed heart failure take up cardiac rehabilitation.[1]

However, if a patient follows their clinician’s referral to cardiac rehabilitation and attends the first session, they are far more likely to complete the full course.

In 2023/24, of the 6,582 heart failure patients in the West Midlands eligible for rehabilitation, only 619 patients (9%) started cardiac rehabilitation when referred to it; of those referred patients who attended the first session 461 (74%) of them completed the course.

Dr Sheraz Nazir, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, says it is important to recognise how cardiac rehabilitation can help improve heart failure patients’ lives.

“If my patient misses their first appointment in cardiac rehabilitation, then I know that their take-up rate for the overall course of rehabilitation will be lower,” said Dr Nazir. “Starting and completing a cardiac rehabilitation course is perhaps the single most important factor to improving your quality of life following a heart attack. You gain as much from completing your cardiac rehab following a heart attack as you do from medication; both are crucially important and complementary.”

Dr Nazir, who is also Cardiovascular Disease Clinical Lead for the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System, added: “Many of my patients are inactive for years, and they are concerned about returning to physical activity in the cardiac rehabilitation programme to which I refer them. I always ask them to look beyond their concerns and consider that cardiac rehabilitation provides personalised support, education on lifestyle changes, and supervised exercise to help patients recover, manage their condition, build confidence, and return to a full life. It also reduces the risk of further heart problems in the future and improves their quality of life for the long-term.”

Case studies

Paul, 63, works as a surveyor who helps improves energy efficiency in social housing. He has just completed a 16-week heart failure rehabilitation course on 8 September 2025 at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

“I was out on Thursday 5 June with friends for a beer and got home, felt a little uncomfortable. I had a tightening of the chest and sat up. The pain would subside and come back. I called into work sick the next morning.

“I went to a nearby walk-in centre to get it checked out. I was sent over to University Hospital, Coventry where the doctor told me immediately that I’d had a heart attack.  Stents were fitted into arteries that afternoon. The service and care that I received from NHS staff was outstanding.

“Following surgery, I felt instant relief, and the tightness in my chest disappeared right away. I felt that I could do more than I had been doing.

“On Friday 6 June, whilst I was still in hospital, I had a visit from the cardiac rehab nurse, and she referred me to cardiac rehabilitation, which I started that day.

“When I started rehabilitation, I must admit that I wasn’t looking forward to the first session, but I knew I had to do it to get back into fitness. I knew that I had to attend that first rehab session to learn more about how I could change my life with exercise and diet.

“I thought: ‘Oh, I really don’t want to do this today.’

“The first session was quite tiring, but I realised it was helping. By the next session, I began enjoying it. From June, I was doing two sessions per week at the Atrium Healthcare Centre. These ended just a week ago, in September.

“The sessions would start with a couple of laps around the gym, on the rowing machine and exercise bike. I think it was after about eight sessions that I started weightlifting. The instructors would increase the level of difficulty or the length of each session, so I was going from chest press to leg press to one for the upper arms.

“Since I started rehabilitation, my work colleagues and family have all noticed quite a difference in my appearance. As a single person living by myself, you do find out how much your friends and family care about you.

“Following the event and medical intervention, I thought: ‘This is going to affect the rest of my life’ and I have to admit it was quite a daunting prospect. However, from my initial contact with the rehabilitation nurse to present day I’ve received nothing but outstanding care and support from the nurses, pharmacist, dietitian and, of course, the physio team and support staff.

“Whilst I realise there is still a long road ahead of me, they’ve given me the confidence and belief to face that. They are an outstanding resource.

“If I knew someone in the same boat as me, I would tell them to be confident when they are referred to cardiac rehabilitation. The rehabilitation team are fantastic and are there to help you. You just need to stick with it, and you will reap the benefits.”

Margaret, 85, is a retired teacher, married to a retired policeman. She has adult children and grandchildren and lives in Coventry.

“I’ve always had low blood pressure. In 2013, I was fitted with a pacemaker, which was replaced last year. I was diagnosed with heart failure several years ago. Heart failure has been a nuisance and stops me from doing as much as I could.  I also had an angiogram a few months ago, in July 2025.

“My cardiac consultant at the University Hospital, Coventry referred me to heart failure rehabilitation at the Atrium Healthcare Centre. Due to my angiogram, I had to wait to start heart failure rehabilitation until two weeks ago on 26 August. I go twice a week to the Atrium for eight weeks.

“I was a bit apprehensive at first when I started rehab. However, the staff were all very welcoming and professional. We patients encourage one another while participating in the class. I really appreciate that the NHS offers this modern facility for rehabilitation.

“Though it is still early in my rehabilitation from heart failure, I am looking forward to enjoying some of the possible benefits, like walking more often in my local park, Coventry War Memorial.

“If I could advise someone else with heart failure who may have concerns about starting and completing their rehabilitation, I would tell them ‘Go for it!  If it makes your quality of life better, then do it.”

If you have any concerns about your health please contact your GP in the first instance or if you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack call 999.

[1] Cardiac rehabilitation that is completed within the West Midlands