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Migration of peoples from different cultures carries with it some additional acclimatisation challenges, particularly where religio-cultural differences are marked between the old and new cultures. In the UK for instance, studies show ethnic differences in healthcare utilisation, with Black Minority Ethnic groups (BME) showing significantly lower access and satisfaction with the NHS compared to their UK counterparts. This is partly because of existing evidence that individuals from various ethnic backgrounds use different cultural and religious methods as coping strategies for ill health. Nigeria has a legacy of colonisation and evangelisation, with consequences that have impacted on their health behaviours.Therefore, this study aimed to explore their experiences of health-seeking as immigrants, and identify potential barriers and facilitators to health services utilization. This is a qualitative study using interviews and focus group (FG) conducted in the English language, lasting 60 and 90 minutes respectively. Ten adult male and female participants (Interviews: n = 6, FG: n = 4) took part in the study. Data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The result revealed four main themes: Immigration challenges, Barriers to health care utilisation, Facilitators to health care utilisation, and Acculturation, with a conclusion that religious and cultural beliefs formed the basis for prevailing illness perceptions and responses to illness. The implication is that religious leaders and health providers from Nigeria can become influential in health decisions within this community, following from research evidence that patient-clinician cultural matching can influence service use and outcome.

Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author's name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pagination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award.