METHODS Individual in-depth interviews were carried out with 121 participants, comprising
46 service users, 36 family carers, and 39 social care practitioners. Within the service user
and family carer groups 39 people from South Asian backgrounds and 43 people from White
British backgrounds were interviewed. The practitioners were from a range of ethnicities.

National surveys show that people from minority ethnic groups tend to be less satisfied with
social care services compared with the white population, but do not show why. Research
indicates that barriers to accessing services include lack of information, perceptions of
cultural inappropriateness and normative expectations of care. Less research has examined
the experience of minority ethnic service users after they access services. This study
conducted in-depth interviews with 82 South Asian and White British service users and …