Doctor Rebecca Ovenden found dead after voicing frustrations over state of NHS

A junior doctor who wrote a viral Facebook post bemoaning the state of the NHS has been found dead.

The body of Rebecca Ovenden, 32, was found at her home by her husband Paul after concerns were raised about her welfare.

She worked for Devon Air Ambulance and in the A&E department at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Police are not treating her death as suspicious.

In November 2015, Dr Ovenden wrote about the pressures of working in A&E in a Facebook post that was shared 38,000 times.

She said she had heard a patient's relative complaining about having to wait for four hours to see a doctor.

She wrote: “Please don't complain in earshot of your health care professional about waiting four hours to be seen in the middle of the night, free of charge by a doctor, with a smile on their face who has not been rude to you, who has reassured you, when the reason it took four hours to see you was because they were trying to save the life of an elderly man who had not wanted to make a fuss about a cold.

“Be thankful of the service you get at the moment, no matter how crappy you might think it is. You never know when you or a loved one might need it.

“It may not be around in its current form for much longer. Then what would you say?”

Dr Ovenden's inquest was opened by Coroner Ian Arrow on Monday.

He said the 32-year-old, who was living with her husband - a marine engineer - in Plymouth, was found dead in her bedroom at 9.25am on March 28.

No cause of death was given and the coroner's court is awaiting a toxicology report. The inquest was adjourned until a later date.