A NEW benefits system for disabled people is making their health worse, leaving many isolated and struggling to pay for food and bills, according to a new report.

A major survey by more than 80 organisations found 79% of respondents said their assessments for personal independence payment (PIP) had made their health worse due to stress or anxiety.

More than a third of those who have had their funding cut in the middle of a benefits shake-up said they were struggling to pay for food, rent and bills while 40% said they had become more isolated.

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The NHS cap on the number of trainee doctors should be scrapped to reduce dependency on agency staff, according to an influential think tank.

The Government limit on the annual intake of medics in England has resulted in “an inadequate pool of labour, difficult working conditions and a powerful staff body”, Reform said.

The group criticised measures such as the £1.3 billion yearly spend on agency staff as “short-term fixes” and said Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will not deliver on his pledge to build an NHS “self-sufficient in doctors” by the end of the next Parliament.

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About 28,000 pubs have closed since the 1970s as the sector faces a “ticking time bomb” over its future, a report warns.

Research by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) found there are fewer than 50,000 pubs, with more beer now being drunk at home.

Camra called for greater support for pubs, saying they are under threat as never before.

Its annual Good Beer Guide reports that when Camra was formed in the early 1970s, Britain had 75,000 pubs.

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