10032441Industrial Research to generate evidence for submission to NICE using a novel, real-world trial design for a technology-enabled, blended service for Cardiac Rehabilitation.ClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UK**WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?** Whilst cardiac rehabilitation reduces the risk of death and future heart attacks and improves the quality of life for patients, only about half of those invited attended the group-based programmes that were provided prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, many cardiac rehabilitation services were moved online or to remote real-time delivery and saw an increase in uptake by their patients. Now that in-person NHS services have restarted, there are increased pressures within healthcare: backlogs of people waiting, hospital gym facilities co-opted for other services, or staff still returning from redeployment (against a backdrop of 6.1 million patients waiting for NHS care and a shortage of 110,000 staff). Every in-person encounter between the patient and clinical staff is of great value (and cost). These can be made more impactful through the use of digitally-delivered services, especially when provided in the patient's home, saving time, money and reducing carbon emissions. The NHS Long Term Plan has a goal of 85% of eligible patients joining cardiac rehabilitation after a heart "event." We believe that delivering a blended programme of cardiac rehabilitation starting with face-to-face delivery and supporting patients to move to a remote service (if it suits them), will enable more people to access rehabilitation, increase rates of uptake and reduce pressure on the workforce. **WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE RESEARCH?** This research project aims to explore new ways in which digitally-delivered healthcare is tested with patients without the costs and long timelines associated with traditional clinical trials. **WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING TO DO?** We will introduce a digital technology to enable NHS staff to deliver the blended programme and monitor patients safely in three rehabilitation centres. Focus groups with patients and rehabilitation staff will understand their experience of the new way of delivering rehabilitation. We will use anonymised data reported to the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation (NACR) to find out whether more patients take-up blended rehabilitation and whether the expected improvements in quality of life are seen, compared with pre-pandemic services which previously only offered face-to-face delivery. **INVOLVING PATIENTS** Members of the public have discussed this proposal and made suggestions. People with heart conditions have provided feedback on the digital system, leading to improvements. With new research methods, we will show that a technology-enabled blended service delivery not only improves outcomes and reduces costs, but is seen as a better service by patients.