Time is running out to finalize a test, track and trace strategy to avoid a possible second surge in coronavirus cases, NHS bosses 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 – either through an app or by phone and email – 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 on Wednesday.
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 and emphasised the importance of involving local health organisations in the plan.
He said a test, track and trace strategy should have been in place sooner and if the right system was not instigated rapidly the ramifications for the NHS “could be severe”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Dickson said: “We are absolutely clear that contact tracing is the right thing to do, it is absolutely critical, it has got to be in place to prevent any notion of a second surge if the lockdown is being further released.”
He added the government was acting “quite late in the day [and] we haven’t yet seen the detail”.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers – a membership group for England’s NHS trusts – told BBC Breakfast his members have “not had clear information and instructions about what their role will be” in the system.
Security minister James Brokenshire said Mr Hopson’s comments “will not be lost on anyone” at the Department of Health – and will be followed up on “at pace”.
Downing Street has confirmed that 24,000 manual contact tracers have been hired, with plans to employ an additional 1,000 people before the test, track and trace scheme starts on 1 June.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said “test and trace” would start shortly.
On Wednesday, Mr Johnson said 25,000 contact tracers, able to track 10,000 new cases a day, would be in place by 1 June.
It coincides with the earliest possible date for the gradual reopening of schools and non-essential shops in England.
Northern Ireland already has a telephone contact tracing system in place, while the Scottish government is currently trialling one. The Welsh government wants its programme operational by the end of May.
One of the government’s most senior scientific advisers previously said an effective tracing system needed to be in place before lockdown restrictions could be changed.
Source:Â bbc.com