JUNIOR doctors in Southampton have started a four-day strike today over issues with pay and patients' safety. 

Members of the British Medical Association are taking part in one of the longest industrial actions in health care services. 

Doctors from University Hospital Southampton joined the picket line on Tremona Road at 7am. 

They are asking for a 35 per cent pay rise, which Health Secretary Steven Barclay has branded "unaffordable" and "unrealistic". 

READ MORE: Southampton junior doctor missed her grandmother's funeral for work

Ben Smith, a foundation year two junior doctor at the hospital, said: "There's a growing feeling of dissatisfaction. Clearly, the three-day strike last time wasn't enough to push the government into negotiations.

"We've seen this government spend huge amounts of money on things like faulty PPE during the pandemic. 

"We're seeing them allocate huge amounts of money to other sectors.

"And it seems to me that the NHS isn't at the forefront of their agenda, and we think it should be for our part. 

"We've made multiple offers for them to come to the table, and the only sort of feedback that we've had has been last-minute attempts with pre-conditions that we can't accept. 

"It's incredibly frustrating for us as junior doctors because we don't want to strike. The last thing we want to do is not be at work and not help patients.

"We are at such a desperate stage now with the level of staffing in the NHS, the number of vacancies, and the patients on waiting lists. 

"As a junior doctor, you are the first person the nurses call when somebody has breathing problems. You might be the first person to attend a cardiac arrest to try and perform CPR and restart someone's heart. You are making decisions that significantly affect people's lives.

"And to do it for £14 an hour doesn't feel fair to us. 

"All we're asking for with our pay restoration is that it goes up to £19 an hour. 

"I think if you ask most people on the street, would they be happy to see junior doctors paid £19 an hour? I think most of them would say yes." 

READ MORE: Nurses strike left Southampton hospital at 'bare minimum' staffing levels

An estimated 350,000 appointments in England, including operations, will be cancelled as a result of the walkout. 

But University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust says "Our priority is providing high-quality, safe care to our patients". 

The 96-hour walkout will cause disruption to services, but the trust says it is working with healthcare partners across the region to manage the services as best as possible for the duration of the planned strikes.

A hospital spokesperson said: "Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during this period—our Emergency Department is there for anyone with a life-threatening illness or injury.

"Patients with appointments planned for this week should continue to attend as normal unless they hear from us directly."