HEALTH leaders have called for an urgent review into whether the UK is properly prepared for a second wave of coronavirus.

GPs, the chair of the British Medical Association, as well as the presidents of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Nursing and Physicians have all signed the letter which was published in the British Medical Journal.

This comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he did not believe there was "a risk of a second peak of infections that might overwhelm the NHS".

"While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare-ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk," says the open letter.

"Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain." It urged ministers to set up a cross-party group to develop recommendations.