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Background Despite well-documented benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), national uptake and completion remains suboptimal. The NHS has set a target of 85% CR uptake by 2028 as part of The NHS Long Term Plan. This abstract is based on the published service evaluation in the British Journal of Nursing (Steward & Collet, 2025). Coventry CR evaluated their data and found CR completion was lower in areas of high deprivation compared to low deprivation, with uptake following a similar trend. Therefore, a service evaluation was needed to determine the barriers and facilitators of attendance within this population. Lessons learned from studying completion rates can be implemented to make CR a more attractive proposition to patients, thereby increasing uptake.Aim To explore local barriers and facilitators of CR completion, in order to inform local service improvement and improve uptake and completion of CR in Coventry.Methods Patient postcodes were matched to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) to identify patients living in IMD 1 and 2. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients post discharge from CR (n=12, May–August 2022), who had both completed and not completed the programme. Themes were then identified to construct service improvement strategies. This work was previously published in the British Journal of Nursing (2025), Volume 34, Issue 8.Results Themes for completion of the programme included personalisation of the CR programme, work flexibility, social connection, and staff. Barriers to completion included family commitments, work constraints, difficulties relating to other group members, limited parking, the gym setting, and poor communication. Key recommendations for improvement included: (1) enhancing flexibility within home-based CR delivery, and (2) improving patient education and support in the home-based model.Conclusion The study demonstrates the value of local service evaluation in identifying and addressing barriers to service user engagement. National datasets alone are insufficient to drive targeted improvement. Services must routinely interrogate their own data and use patient involvement strategies to understand their populations, adapt delivery, and work towards the NHS 85% target. Local evaluation empowers CR teams to lead meaningful change, improve uptake and reduce health inequalities.