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Think of the last time you were faced with a complex challenge. One where the answers weren’t simple and the resources at your disposal very much finite. Got one? Great. How did you solve it? Unless you have super human capabilities, I’m going to guess that it involved working with others, seeking their advice, sharing what you know, and trying to come up with a solution together.

Thank you to Kaleidoscope, who asked me to offer some reflections on joy in work. When I was thinking about this, I was reminded of a story that I’d like to share with you. It’s a story about someone you might not usually associate with joy - a homeless man.

He stands up and walks around his desk, placing a sweaty hand on my lower back as he opens the office door to indicate it is time to go. “The Oracle represents the most sophisticated healthcare algorithm ever created. Trust Her.”

It seems to me the Writing the Future science fiction prize, and the beautiful, eerie stories, mess with our minds because they say ambiguous things about the gap between the present and the future. Is this gap vast, with futures yet untold unfolding in unpredictable directions? Or is this gap porous, and shrinking?

I was told an uplifting story the other day that made me reflect about the conversations we have. Or more accurately, the conversations we don’t have, and what this might mean for our health. It was about a lady, not originally from the UK. She was coming on her own, almost every other day, to her local GP in south London – invariably without an appointment. 

As the writer of 'Burnout', one of the six stories shortlisted for Writing the Future, I've been asked to describe my experience of writing for the competition, and the inspiration behind my story. “Write what you know,” beginner authors are often advised. Well, it so happens that I work in primary care in the UK, and I enjoy reading – and occasionally writing – science fiction.

Ben Dyson, the Executive Director of Strategy at NHS Improvement, writes on the challenges of healthcare strategy in the UK, particularly the transition from traditional strategy to a more agile and adaptable model.

A couple of years ago I spoke to healthcare professionals in the US about what makes for a joyous day at work as part of a project sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund, when I was working in America as a Harkness fellow.

I heard about Writing the Future through my friend Kate, who works in health. "You like writing," she said. "Why don’t you enter this?" A short story competition about healthcare in 2100? It was an intriguing topic: 83 years from now, what kind of world would our descendants inherit?

I know you’re in the middle of something – thanks for even stopping by – but could I borrow you for two quick thought experiments? Only be a minute.