Time is running out to finalise a track and trace strategy that would avoid a potential second surge in coronavirus cases, NHS leaders have said.
The NHS Confederation warned of “severe” consequences to staff and patients if the right system was not established quickly.
It said lockdown measures should not be eased until a clear plan was in place.
It follows the PM’s pledge to introduce a “world-beating” contact tracing system in England from June.
Contact tracing identifies those who may have come into contact with an infected person so they can avoid potentially passing the disease on.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the confederation, which represents health and care leaders, welcomed Boris Johnson’s pledge made at Prime Minister’s Questions.
But in a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Mr Dickson said without a clear strategy the UK was at greater risk of a second peak of the virus.
