CHI Breaches Data Rules at Tallaght Facility

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) was investigated after an unannounced regulatory inspection uncovered unlocked rooms containing unsecured patient records and overflowing confidential waste bins at Tallaght University Hospital. The Data Protection Commission launched its inquiry in August 2025, according to findings, after receiving protected disclosures regarding data security practices at the facility.

Regulatory Investigation Uncovers Unsecured Patient Files at Tallaght Facility

Inspectors walking the grounds during the August 2025 site visit found that sensitive medical documentation was left vulnerable to unauthorized viewing. According to the Data Protection Commission, the files were stored in a room that lacked a lock, meaning anyone moving through the building could easily reach them.

That physical security lapse wasn’t the only finding. The regulatory body discovered that documents carrying sensitive and special category data for children had spilled out of a disposal receptacle meant for confidential waste, reported. Investigators noted that workers had subsequently pulled the overflowing papers out of the bin entirely.

The disposal receptacle sat directly next to the Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor’s office at the CHI site, according to the Data Protection Commission.

GDPR Breaches Prompt Formal Reprimand and Compliance Order for CHI

The Data Protection Commission determined that CHI at Tallaght failed to meet core statutory privacy requirements. Regulators found the facility in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation for failing to ensure that personal information was processed in a manner that guaranteed appropriate security and confidentiality.

As a result of these findings, the regulatory authority has taken formal disciplinary steps. CHI has been issued with a reprimand and ordered to bring its processing of personal data into compliance with the GDPR,