A Scots doctor has told of his hell after a young patient died on his ward because he was too busy to check on him.

The medic, from Edinburgh, told how after an initial consultation he was unable to see the patient a second time because he was dealing with 80 others that evening. The next morning he was asked to sign his death certificate.

Speaking on a new online forum – which gives NHS staff a platform to share their experiences –the doctor opened up about the trauma of understaffing and the true cost in patients’ lives.

He wrote: “I reviewed a man in his mid-30s who was complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. He was clearly very worried about his condition and told me he had a hard time after contracting Covid a couple years ago and never fully recovered. While assessing him we were talking for the whole time to try and distract him.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Education Matters