A&E Waiting Times

Available for over a year

It's been reported that the NHS in England has missed its four-hour A&E waiting time target with performance dropping to its lowest level for a decade. Tim Harford takes a closer look at the numbers with John Appleby, chief economist of the independent health think tank the King's Fund. Do 85 people really own half the world's wealth? An advert for a BBC2 programme claims so, but More or Less listeners aren't so sure. The media has also been full of stories about a new study, which reportedly shows that most cancers are caused by 'bad luck'. But, actually, it doesn't. Tim Harford finds out what the research really tells us about the causes of cancer, speaking to PZ Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, in the United States and Professor George Davey-Smith, clinical epidemiologist at Bristol University. The Financial Times' Chris Giles joins Tim Harford to discuss statistical claims which are both true and unfair. Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Ruth Alexander Programme credit: the song Bad Dream, featured in the item about cancer, was composed by Nick Thorburn.