Claire McGroarty, an emergency medicine consultant at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and medical adviser for the hit show Outlander, took to social media to complain of the way some Scots were handling the increased freedoms.

She tweeted: “Lockdown restrictions eased on Friday. On Saturday I was verbally and physically assaulted twice by patients under the influence of alcohol.

“This wasn’t acceptable pre-Covid, it definitely isn’t acceptable now.”

Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman has apologised to an NHS doctor who suffered physical and verbal abuse by hospital patients a day after lockdown easing began

Ms Freeman replied, describing the patients’ behaviour as “utterly unacceptable” and offered to take further action.

“I am so very sorry this happened to you. Utterly unacceptable behaviour to anyone, all the more so to NHS or care staff.

“I hope you have support but if their (sic) is more you think we should do, please DM me,” she wrote.

Other Twitter users also sympathised with the medic’s experience.

One user, Ally @Ally592, said: “I'm disappointed and worried about the minority who broke the rules in Scotland over the weekend. No excuses, more people than would've will die as a direct result.

“Analogy I heard yesterday is it felt like people were getting released from jail & went mental. Very disappointing.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that 12 more people have died from the virus in the past 24 hours.

It brings the total death toll of Scots who tested positive for Covid-19 to 2,375.

Confirmed cases of the virus in Scotland have now reached 15,471, an increase of 53 on the day before.

The number of patients in hospital with confirmed or suspected coronavirus stands at 1,168 - 122 more than yesterday.

Last Friday the country officially entered the first phase of the Scottish Government’s lockdown lifting plan, allowing people to participate in outdoor non-contact sports like tennis and golf and meet members of another household while maintaining social distance.

Some businesses have also been cleared to reopen, including garden centres, most outdoor work and some elements of fast food restaurants.

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Health secretary apologises to doctor after drink-fuelled abuse from patients

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