Cornwall social worker struck off after repeatedly accessing confidential records
Regulator says his fitness to practise was impaired by misconduct
A Cornwall Council social worker has been struck off for misconduct after accessing a member of the public's confidential case records on eight separate occasions.
Bertram Anthony Reid has been removed from the register to practise by Social Work England (SWE).
It is understood the records related to a female family member of the social worker.
His former employer, Cornwall Council, reported him to SWE.
What he was found to have done
Reid accessed the records eight times between 14th May 2024 and 19th July 2024.
The complaint was raised by the council in May 2025, and then by a member of the public in June 2025.
When SWE case examiners asked him about it, Reid said: "I wanted to check the correct information was in the record."
The examiners told him he was not involved with the case on a professional level.
They said he had accessed the record for a personal reason rather than a professional one.
Cornwall Council also provided a copy of its confidentiality policy.
The policy says access to personal or confidential information must be on a need-to-know basis.
It also says employees are strictly forbidden from knowingly looking at information relating to themselves, their family or friends without a legitimate purpose.
What the case report said
SWE's case report said: "The evidence suggests that the social worker had no professional reason to look at the person's records. Despite this, they accessed their records on a number of occasions."
Reid was told: "The matters outlined amount to the statutory ground of misconduct. Your fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct."
The case examiners did not consider it to be in the public interest for the matter to be referred to a final hearing.
They decided the case could be concluded by way of "accepted disposal".
The examiners said: "Confidentiality is at the heart of social work and the public must be able to trust that social workers will respect and have due regard to the sensitive information that they have access to. Where found proven, conduct of this nature has the potential to undermine public trust in social workers and to damage the reputation of the profession.
"The case examiners are of the view that in these circumstances, members of the public would expect a finding of impairment."
What Reid told the examiners
Reid told the case examination: "On reflection I can only describe my account on this incident as I was too emotionally involved. I have no excuse for my acting in a way that I felt that my emotions, at that time, got in the way of my practice."
He added: "I felt that systematically more should have been done. However, looking back on this I should have stepped back and let the system work for the person of concern."
He also said: "I have read the case examiners' decision and the accepted disposal guide. I admit the key facts set out in the case examiner decision and that my fitness to practise is impaired."
Reid told the examiners in May that he had retired from social work.
Can he return to the register?
A social worker who is removed from the register can only apply to be restored five years after the date the removal order took effect.
Adjudicators will then decide whether to restore the person to the register.
Cornwall Council's response
A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "While we're unable to comment on individual cases, Cornwall Council takes its responsibilities to safeguard the people it supports seriously and expects the highest standards of professional conduct from its workforce."