Innovative approaches to reducing health inequalities through online face-to-face, telehealth stop smoking services
Author(s)
Leena Sankla and John Guyatt.
Presenter(s)
Leena Sankla Project Director, Solutions 4 Health, Reading
John Guyatt Telehealth Director, Solutions 4 Health, Reading
Biography
Leena Sankla is a Public Health consultant and has overall responsibility for a number smoking cessation and chronic disease self-management projects, being rolled out across England that are commissioned by PCT’s. Her particular expertise is in reaching hard to reach groups, specifically Black Minority & Ethnic (BME) groups, socially deprived groups and routine and manual workers. She has a long-standing knowledge of smoking and tobacco control, including shisha use and tobacco chewing and delivers these courses to healthcare professionals.
She has worked closely with Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and is a Master Trainer on Chronic Disease Self Management & Diabetes Self Management from Stanford University.
John Guyatt has extensive international experience providing technology solutions across a range of markets sectors including healthcare, assistive technologies, building management and semiconductors.
Since joining Solutions4Health in 2010, John has led their telehealth division and has been instrumental in developing a range of IT solutions for their healthcare service delivery teams. The ‘iTelehealth’ platform launched in the summer of 2011 is the foundation upon which ‘SmokeFreeLife’, the world’s first mass market online stop smoking telehealth service has been built.
John works with CCGs and Local Authorities to introduce innovative, cost-effective telehealth services that make a real difference to people’s lives.
