Together Through Long COVID: Developing a Resource for Social Prescribing Link Workers to Support People Living with Long COVID from Ethnic Minority Communities

Introduction: People from ethnic minority backgrounds living with long COVID in the UK often encounter healthcare systems that fail to meet their needs, reporting experiences of being dismissed, turned away, or denied adequate care. These barriers compound existing inequities, including racism, gender inequality, and financial hardship. This paper presents the development of Together Through Long COVID (TTLC), a practice resource for Social Prescribing Link Workers supporting this population. Methods and outcomes: TTLC was designed using a Person-Based Approach, a multi-stage process for developing interventions grounded in the perspectives of the people who use them. Initial stages comprised a literature review; patient and public involvement and engagement; and qualitative interviews with people living with long COVID from ethnic minority communities (n =17) and with link workers and other professionals supporting this population (n = 21). Interviews explored barriers and facilitators to care access. The findings informed the design of an initial prototype, which was then optimised through a round of feedback with eight participants (five patients, three link workers) drawn from the original interview participant pool. The changes included making the tool more flexible to suit patients and the practice, adding guidance on approaching sensitive topics such as experiences of discrimination, and including a summary for quick reference. Discussion: This study provides a transparent account of how an intervention for a complex health condition was developed, supporting its appraisal, replication and adaptation. The development of TTLC is grounded in existing evidence, the lived experience of ethnic minority communities living with long COVID and the practical realities of the link worker. Conclusion: The resulting tool, Together Through Long COVID (TTLC), is designed for social prescribing link workers to deliver more equitable support, with particular emphasis on building trust, embedding cultural appropriateness into appointments, and collaborative patient-centric care planning; it is now available online [1].