Table 2 Stroke survivors’ perceptions of self-management

“It was a shock for me, and I was very scared about never being able to dance and exercise. So I worked very hard on myself, you know, even when I got home and I could only manage fifteen minute walk but, you know, I set myself little goals. My goal is, you know, to work towards my regaining, you know, my total fitness again for example I mean I am not unfit just now but…I want to try and get that back again.” (SS9, Highland)

“I set myself goals, certainly at the beginning of things I was going to do and I’ve managed to do that so I think and now I’ve got the goal, if you like, of going back to work and I mean I think ‘oh I’m going to have to do it soon’, so I am organising that at the moment and that’s my next thing.” (SS14, Fife)

“They [health professionals] don’t really want to know about you as an individual they just really want to dish out medicines and …erm… you know, they are all about risk rather than about helping someone to self-manage and live healthily with whatever has happened to them. My needs weren’t listened to. There isn’t really any facility really to pay attention to someone who wants to take responsibility for their own health, you know, there is no encouragement really to be able to do that.” (SS9, Fife)

“The stroke nurse is very good and the physiotherapist, they always leave their phone number “phone me if ever you want to speak to me about anything” well okay that is very good but you never do it, or seldom do it. It’s only when push comes to shove that you do it.” (SS10, Lanarkshire)

“I don’t think I’ve done anything off my own back. I always tell people like the physios I tell them what and I say “now is this okay or not okay” and they have been very keen for me to do this [exercising].” (SS10, Lanarkshire)