A glimpse into the future: a typical day in the NHS in the year 2050

Having completed the morning’s compulsory brain enhancing puzzles, I begin my ward round in the living room. Assessing patient A, via a video link with Singapore, I note dramatic improvement in mobility, set the computer to send hourly reports, and continue to my next patient in New York. Colleagues at the “global hospital” agree that this patient needs immediate surgery. The required robot is available that afternoon and we agree that Professor X, who is located in Washington, would be the most suited to perform this complex operation. He agrees to perform the surgery after he completes a regenerative neural transplant in Sydney; after all, the robot’s controls are located in his office at home.

I arrive at my …