OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the rationale and design of a theory-informed patient education programme addressing cardiovascular disease for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to illustrate how theory can explicitly be translated into practice. METHODS: A steering group of rheumatologists and psychologists was convened to design the programme. The Common Sense Model, the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Stages of Change Model were used to underpin the topics and activities in the programme. User involvement was sought. The programme was formatted into a manual and the reading age of the materials was calculated. RESULTS: A small group 8-week programme was designed. The structure of the patient education programme, including topics, underlying psychological theory as well as behaviour change techniques, is described. CONCLUSION: This patient education programme addresses a currently unmet educational need for patients with RA and uses theory to design, not just evaluate, the programme. This will allow both enhanced interpretation of the results when the programme is implemented and replication by other units if successful. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The actual design and detail of education programmes merit wider dissemination to facilitate progress in the process of development and application.