Hugh is a GP registrar based in Bournemouth approaching the end of his 11 years of training. He lives in Poole with his wife, 8 week old daughter and dog.

I'm a junior doctor and I'm (reluctantly) on strike. It is the first doctors’ strike since 1976, so you could say we don't do this often.

Why are we so upset? The new contract is not safe and it is not fair.

The financial penalties that stop hospitals working us dangerously long hours as they did in the past are being removed in favour of soft safeguards.

Contrary to what you may hear from the government, we are not getting a pay rise.

Some doctors will have their pay protected, but those coming up under us will be paid less for doing the same work with more antisocial hours.

Those who work less than full time or take time out to have children will be financially penalised by losing their existing pay increments - even the Department of Health's own analysis concludes this will disproportionately affect women but this is "justified". So much for reducing the gender pay gap.

Doctors who are available on call could be paid as little as £2 per hour for covering nights and weekends.

Scotland and Wales are keeping the existing contract and have declared it is no barrier to a 7-day NHS. More resources are needed to extend services that are already stretched beyond breaking point.

I think the scariest consequence of this contract is that it is causing the NHS to haemorrhage doctors.

Barely half of new doctors are continuing with training after their second year in medicine. The rest are leaving to work abroad where they are valued, or are leaving medicine altogether.

Many medical students aren't even planning to take a job when they qualify and rotas up and down the country are full of vacancies.

We’re as concerned as anyone about looking after patients.

Consultants will be delivering emergency care during the strikes to ensure patients are safe.

Studies in other countries have actually shown a fall in death rates during doctors’ strikes.

So that's why I was standing in the rain yesterday. Please support us and write to your MP. The future of the NHS is in danger.