80 per cent of healthcare apps do not meet NHS standards, according to data from Orcha, which reviews digital health platforms for several NHS trusts.

Orcha chief executive Liz Ashall-Payne told the BBC that failings include a lack of security updates, poor information, and insufficient awareness about regulatory requirements.

The organisation said that there are currently around 370,000 health-related apps available online.

Orcha has reviewed almost 5,000 apps and found many examples of bad practice, including a diabetes management app offering complex medical support without any back-up from experts, a physiotherapy app offering exercise plans without any visible input from professionals, and an app to help smokers quit, which had failed to update security for over two years, the BBC reported.

The company said that one of the criteria on which many platforms fail is regulation, but that often this is unintentional.

"Innovators can get a bad reputation and that can be unfair," Ashall-Payne told the BBC. "Imagine if you have experienced a challenge with your health or that a loved one and you just want to help others.

“You're coming at it with good intentions but you wouldn't necessarily know which regulation your product needs."

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