When The Jetsons envisioned 2062, mankind was happily co-existing with aliens, flying around in solar-powered cars, and dogs could talk.

Whilst we can almost guarantee the last one won't happen, predicting the future can be something of a fool's errand. Yet, this should not deter us from imagining it: The hospital of the future. A world where robots work arm-in-appendage with clinicians.

Where clinicians orchestrate an armada of technology at their fingertips, enabling better, faster, more personal care, with fewer hours, and lower costs.

The Jetsons might have missed the mark on talking dogs but looking to the future is vital. It provides us with a North Star, allowing us to define the direction we want to journey towards

If you've not been living under a rock (and given the pan-European housing shortage, if you have, no judgement from us) for the last 12 months, you'll have heard of ChatGPT.

Simultaneously billed as the solution to and cause of all future and existing problems, ChatGPT is a generative AI that bamboozled bankers, perplexed professors, and disrupted developers. Seemingly no industry is safe. But what role can it play in the hospital?

NB The prompt for this description was: Write a whimsical description of a session with the title 'ChatGPT in the hospital: Helping hand or unhelpful hindrance?'. Use British English. Maximum 100 words.

At a high level, the map of players in European healthcare is a relatively simple one. Payers, providers, life sciences, healthtech. But new players are moving into the space. Organisations that aren't generally associated with health. Think Uber, energy providers or postal services. And many more…

These unconventional entrants are reshaping a new corner of the landscape by capitalising on their expansive networks and customer bases. This diversification underscores the dynamic evolution underway within the European healthcare ecosystem.

As these new players continue to redefine health, how might their entry influence the roles of the traditional healthcare players? What innovative solutions could arise from this expanding map of players? And what can we all learn from the new kids on the block?

Despite the great technological leaps already achieved, the promise of AI, and all manner of hybrid models proposed, healthcare remains a human-centric industry. Simply put, without a workforce, there is no healthcare.

From Glasgow to Gibraltar, Lisbon to Lund, Paris to Prague, the reasons for the exodus stay the same: hierarchy, working hours, scant resources. But there is light at the end of the workforce tunnel.

Passionate healthcare professionals are driving change from within their own organisations, pushing, cajoling and forcing decision-makers into action. They envision healthcare systems that focus on collaboration, compassion, and care. How can we foster a culture of empowerment and job satisfaction, to ensure that the workforce is motivated to stay and contribute to the betterment of healthcare for all?