Main content

A&E Waiting Times

Series that investigates numbers in the news. Tim Harford examines NHS performance data, bad luck and cancer, and statistics that are true and unfair.

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 麻豆社2 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.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Sun 11 Jan 2015 20:00

Chapters

  • A&E Waiting Times

    The NHS in England has missed its four-hour A&E waiting time target. Why?

    Duration: 05:41

  • Rich List

    Do 85 people really own half the world's wealth?

    Duration: 02:26

  • Bad Luck and Cancer

    Does a recent study really show that most cancers are caused by 鈥渂ad luck鈥?

    Duration: 09:07

  • The Truth Hurts

    Chris Giles and Tim Harford discuss statistical claims which are both true and unfair.

    Duration: 05:39

Broadcasts

  • Fri 9 Jan 2015 16:30
  • Sun 11 Jan 2015 20:00

Just how reliable is our intuition? Find out with The Open University

OU Connect: Put your brain to the test with our new mind-bending probability problems!

When can you trust statistics?

When can you trust statistics?

麻豆社 Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.

Download this programme

Download this programme

Subscribe to the More or Less Podcast or download individual episodes.