At the deep end: COVID-19 experiences of Zimbabwean health and care workers in the United Kingdom

Background and objectives Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups (BAME) in the UK were disproportionately affected by the first phase of COVID-19 in terms of exposure, negative health and socio-economic impacts and consequences including recorded deaths. However, aggregate categories like BAME mask internal diversities and differences and limit the scope for understanding why disproportionalities occur and appropriate interventions. This paper responds to calls for disaggregated and in-depth participatory community based research to improve culturally nuanced understanding of health inequalities and COVID-19 impacts. Methods The paper draws from weekly zoom discussions and data from a google-forms on-line survey (n = 103) that the Zimbabwean community conducted to establish and examine COVID-19 experiences of Zimbabwean health and care workers in the UK. Our interpretive approach used MAXQDA software for qualitative data analysis; to code and categorise responses to open ended survey questions. Results and discussions Discursive analysis of this community data shows that health and social care worker experiences included recurrent and widely reported themes such as discrimination in allocation of equipment, moral injury and trauma that may lead to long- term mental health problems. These results confirm diversity of experiences amongst health care professionals when compared to other ethnic groups and by gender. They reinforce the case for monitoring, for after care research and support, including that which draws on community-based capital.