Daily roundup 31 October: Midwife shortage, bad teeth, and universal credit

UK maternity units are turning to expensive temporary staffing arrangements such as overtime and agency staff to plug gaps in midwife rotas, union leaders have said. The BBC reports that Royal College of Midwives data showed the bill hit nearly £100m in 2016, with services having to pay hourly fees twice as high as the normal rates. The union said that was enough to cover the "national shortage" of 3,500 staff.


Children under 10 are twice as likely to be hospitalised with tooth decay than with a broken arm. The Daily Mail reports that figures compiled by the Royal College of Surgeons' Faculty of Dental Surgery and the Press Association show that in 2016/17, there were 34,205 cases of under-10s needing hospital treatment for tooth decay, compared with 17,043 cases of arm fracture.


Universal Credit is not fit for purpose and needs "urgent change" a think-tank has said. The Mirror reports that the Resolution Foundation has called on Chancellor Philip Hammond to cut the six-week waiting period and invest £3bn in "rebalancing" the system to help struggling families in November's budget.


A social worker has appeared before a professional disciplinary panel after she was found by a judge to have fabricated evidence to bolster the case for removing a child from the mother's care and then lied in court about having done so. The Guardian reports that the social worker, who works for Bristol City Council, could be struck off if the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) concludes that her fitness to practise has been impaired by her conduct. But the hearing was adjourned after five days of evidence last week and will not reconvene until March, with no reason given for the delay.


Fresh guidelines have been issued to ensure that child victims of sexual abuse are not denied compensation on the mistaken grounds that they consented to a relationship. The Guardian reports that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is altering its instructions to staff over the impact of grooming.