UHL staff under ‘huge pressure’ to deal with FOI requests after death of Aoife Johnston [Video]

STAFF AT UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick (UHL) say they are under “huge pressure” to deal with the large volume of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted since the death of Aoife Johnston.

Two staff members who deal with FOI requests and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requests left their roles in recent weeks and have not yet been replaced, The Journal understands.

Another person who left a management role in the department last year has also not been replaced, staff said.

A remaining employee said staff are under “huge pressure” as they are “inundated” with requests. They said the team is missing deadlines for FOI and GDPR requests, despite their best efforts.

There has been an increase in requests from the public following the tragic death of Aoife Johnston at UHL’s emergency department in December 2022, the staff member added.

The 16-year-old died after suffering from meningitis-related sepsis, but timely treatment could have saved …