From patient to changemaker

Debra Quantrill was 38 when she had a life-changing heart attack. Now she’s working as a patient representative on one of NICE’s independent committees, offering her experience to help shape the future of cardiac rehabilitation across the country.

The day everything changed

Debra was out with her children, then aged 2 and 5, when she had a heart attack in the carpark of her local department store.

“I suddenly felt a crushing feeling, like someone was squeezing my oesophagus and felt faint,” Debra recalls.

Luckily for Debra, a paramedic was passing by. They carried out some checks and called for an ambulance.

However, while in the ambulance Debra went into cardiac arrest and the paramedics had to use a defibrillator - in front of her children - to revive her.

“The heart attack was completely out of the blue, I’d had no previous medical condition with my heart before that.”

Debra had experienced spontaneous coronary artery dissection requiring an emergency heart bypass. Surgeries such as these involve long periods of rehabilitation for recovery.

Debra Quantrill is using her experience to help others by working with NICE as a patient representative

Rebuilding through rehab

Debra found the sudden change in her circumstances a struggle.

“Everything changed, I lived in a top floor flat at the time and I remember discussing how to manage all the stairs at home and being able to cope

“I went from being quite fit with small children and running around after them to suddenly feeling like I was 100 years old and like my life would never be the same again.”

Debra started a 6-week cardiac rehab programme to aid her recovery ultimately enabling her to raise her heart rate without fear.

“I was so grateful for the service because I was quite nervous, particularly about doing exercise after the heart attack.”

One size does not fit all

Figures suggest that Debra’s positive experience of cardiac rehab is not one that is repeated consistently.

Cardiovascular disease affects millions of people across the UK, yet uptake of traditional cardiac rehabilitation programmes has been low.

In 2023, only 41% of eligible people with acute coronary syndrome and just 13% of those with heart failure, participated in cardiac rehabilitation programmes in England.

Opportunity to shape national health recommendations

“I knew there was a huge demand for cardiac rehab that wasn’t being met and that standard in-person cardiac rehab doesn’t suit everybody”, Debra says.

"I spotted that there was an opportunity to make cardiac rehab more consistently available by joining a NICE committee. Helping by offering my lived experience felt like a natural next step in my recovery journey."

7 digital platforms given conditional approval

In December 2025, NICE published the guidance that Debra and her committee colleagues had been working on.

As a result of their recommendations, people with heart disease are now able to have recovery sessions at home rather than travelling to rehab appointments, with 7 digital platforms conditionally approved.

Debra reviews the guidance she helped create

Why representation matters

NICE’s core purpose is to get the best care to people, fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer. We do this by ensuring that the process for developing guidance and standards involves people who will be affected by it, to ensure their needs and priorities are reflected.

We build in these perspectives through the membership of our guidance development committees. Every committee member has equal status, because we believe that lived experience is just as valuable as clinical expertise.

"It's really important for people with lived experience to be involved in NICE's work - no one can understand the process as well as someone who has been through it themselves. As a patient representative, you're not there to represent all patients, you're there to give your own point of view. But it does help to have someone in the room who has lived it."

Debra is clear that this kind of involvement matters.

"NICE includes patients so we can speak up about what's important as the end user. And that's exactly what I did."

Behind every piece of guidance is a committee of people who helped shape it - experts in health and social care and people who use health and care services and carers.

Debra describes her role as a patient representative and the importance of having lived experience included in the development of NICE guidance.

Could you make a difference?

By joining a committee you'll have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others by developing health and social care guidance that improves services. Applying is easy. All members receive support from NICE’s people and communities team and receive an attendance fee as well as certain expenses.

For anyone wondering whether they have the time or the confidence to get involved, Debra is reassuring.

“Get involved, if you can, it is a good thing to do and it’s interesting. The patient is always central to all the decisions that are made and that’s really important.”

Turning experience into change

Life is back to normal for Debra, but she’s thoughtful that for many other heart patients their stories are different. Her heart attack was the beginning of an unexpected journey, that has led her from patient to changemaker.

By sharing her experience, Debra has helped shape the way cardiac rehabilitation is delivered, ensuring that future patients have access to the support they need to recover. Her story is a reminder that sharing lived experience has the power to transform healthcare.

Debra on a recent skiing holiday with her family

If you have lived experience of a health condition and want to help shape the care that others receive, visit the NICE website for details about becoming a committee member.