Terms of Service - Stroke Association Online Community

The Stroke Association reserves the right to make changes to these terms and conditions at any time. Please refer to this section regularly because any amendments will be posted here and will apply to your continued use of the website.

Definitions used in these terms and conditions

The terms “this site” and “this website” means all internet pages in the stroke.org.uk domain.
“Stroke Association” includes any person or organisation involved in any part of the design, development, moderation, response-handling, marketing, promotion, or other similar aspects of this site.
“User(s)”, “visitor(s)”, “you”, “your” and “yours” means the person(s) accessing or interacting with the website.
“Content” means any information, data, text, graphics, photographs, publications, documents, links, programming code or other material published, contained or available on the website.
“Indemnify” means to exempt.
“Online Community” and “Forum” are used interchangeably.

The Online Community

By registering to the Online Community, you accept the terms and conditions outlined on this page.
These conditions apply to your choice of username as well as any public or private messages that you post.
You must comply with our Community rules when you use the Online Community, please take the time to become familiar with them and check them regularly.
You need to be 18 or older to use the Online Community. Some content might not be suitable for younger users. If you are under 18, your account will be removed.
This site is for peer support and connection and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or relevant medical professionals, such as a physiotherapist or stroke consultant, before making decisions that could impact your health or the health of others.
If you have concerns about your care or safety, or that of someone else, please contact your local social services department or your GP as a first point of contact.
If you need emergency medical help, dial 999 for an emergency ambulance or go to your local hospital’s accident and emergency department.

Role of moderators

Our team of moderators help maintain a safe, supportive environment. They guide discussions, provide assistance, and enforce community standards to ensure all members engage respectfully. We will work with members of the community to provide signposting to helpful information.
Moderators on the Online Community are not trained counsellors, health professionals or crisis workers.
Harassing behaviour towards moderators will not be tolerated. Publicly targeting or slandering moderators is unacceptable and such posts will be removed.
Do not publicly discuss or criticise moderators’ decisions, including suspensions or complaints. Such posts will be removed.

Withdrawing access to the Online Community

If we are worried about how someone is using the Online Community, our moderators might need to look at private messages to keep everyone safe.
When we can, our moderators will work with you to give feedback and help you keep using the Online Community.
If we are worried about your use of the Online Community, we might have to stop your access immediately. We may or may not give feedback depending on how serious the risk is to other community members.
If your access has been withdrawn, and you would like to discuss this with the team, you can contact them at online.community@stroke.org.uk .

Code of conduct

We welcome the use of the Online Community as widely and freely as possible. The code of conduct set out on this page aims to ensure that discussions stay safe, respectful, legal, and relevant.

Use of the Online Community is at the user’s own risk. The Stroke Association does not accept responsibility for any costs or expenses incurred as a result of any actions you take.
Content posted on any of the Online Community areas is the sole responsibility of the person who posted the content.
All views and information, whether publicly or privately posted, are individual and should not be interpreted as the views, policy, or advice of the Stroke Association. Where views or information are those of the Stroke Association, this will be clearly identified as such.

Posting

Anything you post on the forum is public and can be seen by anyone on the internet. Your posts may also appear in search engine results, like Google, making them accessible to everyone online. Only share information that you are comfortable sharing publicly.
Post responsibly. All communications, whether public posts or private messages, must not include personal attacks or content that is offensive, defamatory, vulgar, or hateful. Abusive, threatening, bullying or illegal behaviour is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.
Deliberately sharing false, misleading, or inaccurate information is strictly prohibited. Users must ensure that all shared content is accurate and supported by reliable sources. Violations may result in content removal, warnings, account suspension or withdrawal.
Bear in mind that your views about what is offensive may differ from those of other members. Before posting, consider how your comments might be perceived by others. Most situations involving potentially offensive content are not straightforward and require a review by a moderator.
Avoid writing in BLOCK CAPITALS as it can make your comments more difficult to read and is often interpreted as if you are shouting.

Community respect and safety

Mild swearing is ok as long as it is in context, not excessive, and not aimed at other community members.
The naming of health or care providers, legal services and/or their individual staff is not permitted on the forum. Moderators aim to remove such references but have no obligation to do so.
Respect other users’ boundaries. According to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, harassment is defined as causing alarm or distress through unwanted and persistent conduct towards another individual. In our community, this includes repeatedly contacting someone in a way that is unwelcome, such as continuing to message or comment on the posts of a user who has not responded or has expressed a desire for no further contact. This behaviour is strictly prohibited and may lead to your suspension or your permanent removal from the forum.

Confidentiality and privacy

Private messages will always remain private, and your profile can only be viewed by users who are logged in.
Do not give out your own or others’ personal details or sensitive information such as full names, home addresses, email addresses, financial information, or phone numbers. This helps maintain safety for everyone.
Do not talk about your daily movements, such as where you will be at a specific time and date. Be careful when discussing details of family and friends - they may not want their personal stories online.
Do not respond to, and immediately report, any posts or private messages that ask for personal details or money.
Do not allow anyone else to use your account or share your account with others**.**
Do not share your password. Keep it secret and do not let any other person or organisation use it. If you think someone else knows or is using your password, tell us right away.
Private messages are confidential and should not be shared with third parties. They are not routinely monitored but may be reviewed by the moderation team if reported for inappropriate content or if there’s a suspected breach of our terms. Respect the privacy of others in your communications.
You must not use this site to collect or share anyone’s personal details, either your own or someone else’s. This includes any form of data mining or malicious hacking to access information. If we find out someone has been engaging in these activities, we’ll remove the content and suspend or permanently ban them from the Online Community.

Legal and ethical use

You are welcome to post links to other web pages or refer to third party organisation or products where you feel this would be helpful to other members.
You must not post or use the Online Community in any way that breaks the law or share content that you do not have the legal right to share.
You must not participate in mischievous or malicious behaviour, which causes or could cause damage to the Stroke Association, this site, or any computer systems on which this site resides.
You must not send spam, chain letters, junk messages, or engage in any other form of solicitation to other users. If you do, we will remove these messages and, depending on the severity, we may give you a warning, suspend you, or permanently ban you from the Online Community.
You must not pretend to be someone else or claim you are connected with a person or organisation when you’re not. This kind of behaviour is misleading and harms the trust within our community. If we find anyone doing this, we’ll act straight away. This could mean removing what you have posted and possibly suspending or permanently banning you from the forum.
Do not create multiple accounts. Doing so can disrupt community interactions, mislead other members, and undermine trust within the forum. If it is discovered that one user has created multiple accounts, we may take action by disabling the additional accounts and restricting access.

Advertising and promotion

Do not advertise or promote other companies or their campaigns, programs, or resources that compete directly with the Stroke Association. If you post such promotions, we will remove them, and continued violations may result in further actions, including suspension or permanent ban from the forum.
Do not post sections from other websites as this may raise copyright issues. It is better to write your own short description and post a link. The Stroke Association is not responsible for any information posted by members that may infringe copyright law.
Any reference to third-party organisations, their products, research, or services does not imply endorsement by the Stroke Association.
Advertising of products or services by commercial companies or those affiliated with them is not permitted and will be removed.
The above advertising policy applies to offers to sell, loan, or give away second-hand items such as equipment, medication, supplements, and electronic devices.

Fundraising

Personal donation and fundraising requests are not allowed on the forum. These should be confined to appropriate sites such as JustGiving.

Moderation

How we moderate

Our team uses a combination of automated tools and human oversight to monitor forum activity. This approach helps us efficiently identify and address any content that may violate our guidelines. When a breach of these terms and conditions is identified, moderators have the right to take appropriate actions, which may include:

Removing or editing the offending content.
Issuing a warning to the involved member.
Temporarily suspending the member’s access to the forum. Permanently banning the member from the forum.

These steps are taken to maintain a safe and respectful environment for all members of our community. Decisions made by our moderators are final.

Why we moderate

The primary goal of moderation is to protect all members from harmful content, maintain respectful interactions, and uphold the positive atmosphere of our community. It is essential for fostering a supportive and safe space where all members feel secure to participate and share.

When we moderate

Our team actively reviews reports, flags, and randomly audits interactions to ensure compliance with our guidelines. We prioritise urgent matters to address any immediate concerns that may affect community well-being.
While our team strives to monitor content as thoroughly as possible, it’s not feasible to catch everything immediately, the Online Community is not moderated 24/7. We rely on our community members to report any issues they encounter, helping us maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Inappropriate posts

Comments are not approved before they are posted on the forum, however, new comments are checked at regular intervals by moderators to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions on this page.
If your post includes a word from our watch list, it will be automatically queued for review. Our moderators will then assess the post to decide if it should be published, edited, or removed to ensure it meets our community rules. If you feel inappropriate content has been posted, you can report it to the moderator team by flagging it. All reports are kept confidential.
If a post gets flagged by more than five users, it will be automatically hidden. This measure helps protect the community from triggering or inappropriate content.
Where a breach of these terms and conditions occurs, the moderation team reserve the right to take such action as it sees fit, see our Moderation section for more clarification.
Moderators have the right, but no obligation, to remove, edit, move, or close any message or group of messages for any reason.
The moderation team reserve the right to delete the account of any member who violates our community rules or disrupts the community. While we strive to issue warnings before taking such action, we are not obligated to provide notice. This measure ensures our community remains a supportive and safe space for all members.
The moderation team reserve the right to modify or delete any or all information related to a user, including the deletion of that user’s account, if:
The user violates our community guidelines or terms and conditions.
There is evidence of fraudulent activity or security concerns associated with the account.
The account has been inactive for 24 months.
These actions are taken to ensure the integrity and security of our community. While we typically attempt to notify the user before taking such actions, we reserve the right to do so without prior notice if necessary.
The moderation team may inform you of the reasons behind any changes made to your post or account. However, we are not obligated to engage in detailed correspondence regarding these moderation decisions. The moderation team may report activities on the Online Community to the relevant authorities if doing so may prevent a crime, or assist in the detection of a crime, or if we have a legal responsibility to do so.

Reporting concerns

If you encounter a post containing offensive, abusive, threatening, degrading, discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate content, flag the post to alert our moderation team immediately. This is the quickest way to have the content reviewed.
If you encounter anything that seems out of place or doesn’t feel right, please report it by flagging the content.
Every report is completely confidential, meaning the original poster will not know the identity of the user(s) who flagged their posts.
In a private conversation between two or more users, if one user flags a message, the other user(s) will not be notified that the message has been flagged. The flagging process remains confidential, and only moderators or admins will be aware of the flagged content for review.
All flagged content will be thoroughly reviewed by our team. We promptly investigate and address all reported issues to ensure quick and effective action. Please note, the team is not obligated to communicate the outcome of the flagged content to the individual who reported it.
You can also submit a ticket to the Service Desk or email us at online.community@stroke.org.uk for immediate assistance.

Safeguarding concerns

Everyone deserves to live safely and free from abuse or neglect. If you’re concerned about your safety or someone else’s, you can take action and find help.
If you’re in immediate danger, call 999 right away.
If you are not in immediate danger, talk to someone you trust, such as a friend, family member or carer. You can also discuss your situation with a healthcare provider like your GP, nurse, or a social worker.
If you’re in England, Scotland, or Wales, contact the social services department of your local council. Find your local council on the GOV.UK website. In Northern Ireland, call the Adult Protection Gateway Service. Find your local service’s contact details.
In addition to the above, we have a responsibility to ensure all our users are safe. If we feel a post sharing abuse or neglect will be triggering to other users, we may move your post and reach out to you directly to ensure you’re not at risk.
If you’re worried about another member, please report it by flagging their post or private message for immediate staff attention.

Legal or medical advice

The forum is a community for people affected by stroke to share support and their lived experience. Information on the forum is not a substitute for professional medical or legal advice. Always consult a medical professional before making any health-related decisions.
The Stroke Association is not responsible for correcting any advice shared on the forum.
When sharing advice on the forum please be aware that other people’s situations may differ from your own and be clear about where the information relates to your personal experience. For example, you could say ‘My doctor prescribed me aspirin, you could ask your GP about this’ rather than ‘You should take aspirin.’

Recruiting participants for research

All research requests and queries must go through the Research team, and only students and researchers affiliated with the Stroke Association are permitted to advertise for participants on the forum, with all such posts confined to the ‘Stroke research’ category; to initiate this process, affiliated individuals must first complete a specific form, available upon request by contacting the Research team at research@stroke.org.uk , ensuring that all research promoted on our forum has been appropriately reviewed and aligns with our standards.
Reasonable attempts have been made to ensure projects listed have appropriate approval from a recognised body. Participants are responsible for satisfying themselves that appropriate approval procedures have been met before taking part.
Journalists and media professionals conducting research for articles should not contact forum users directly. You can contact our press office at press@stroke.org.uk .
You should only post non-confidential and non-proprietary information on the Online Community. The Stroke Association may use, or allow to be used, information posted on the forum for research purposes with a view to improving products and services for stroke survivors. Any content that the Stroke Association is aware of being used for this purpose will be anonymised.

Complaints

If you have concerns about the forum’s operation, its users, or its staff, please follow our standard complaints procedure. We take all complaints seriously and are committed to resolving them promptly.

Please complete the form with the details of your complaint. Alternatively, you can call 0300 3300 740 to speak to our Supporter Care team.

If you have questions about anything in the terms and conditions on this page, please email online.community@stroke.org.uk .