A controversial on-line GP service has been rocked by a software failure that led to patients able to see other people’s consultations.

Babylon Health said the breach only affected a handful of patients. One patient, Rory Glover, told the BBC that he found 50 videos that did not belong to him on his app. The app has a section which allows patients to re-watch recordings of their consultations – but Mr Glover found he could view other people’s consultations.

Babylon’s expansion into the NHS has sparked controversy with accusations of it cherry-picking the worried well. Its services were delivered through one GP practice in London and it secured permission to open up in Birmingham by promising it would ensure patients had physical access to services such as vaccines and smears. It has 2.3 million registered users in the UK, including health secretary Matt Hancock.

A statement from Babylon Health said: “On the afternoon of Tuesday 9 June we identified and resolved an issue within two hours whereby one patient accessed the introduction of another patient’s consultation recording. Our investigation showed that three patients, who had booked and had appointments today, were incorrectly presented with, but did not view, recordings of other patients’ consultations through a subsection of the user’s profile within the Babylon app.

“This was the result of a software error rather than a malicious attack. The problem was identified and resolved quickly. Of course we take any security issue, however small, very seriously and have contacted the patients affected to update, apologise to and support where required.”