More than 7,800 newborns have been recorded with "neonatal withdrawal symptoms" in the last five years after becoming dependent on drugs their mothers took during pregnancy. They include 6,599 cases in England, 738 in Scotland and 464 cases in Wales, according to NHS data obtained by the Mirror. The figures show a 22 per cent increase in cases over the last 10 years, from 1,192 in 2004/05 to 1,536 in the past 12 months.
Social work vacancies have soared by 74 per cent in the past year as local authorities struggle to hold on to essential frontline staff. The number of social work roles advertised by local authorities in England rose from 2,700 in May 2013 to 4,700 in the same month this year. The data confirms the battle that local authorities face to keep staffing at safe levels, reports the Independent on Sunday.
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