‘Until we stop measuring success by how many people we can exclude, we’ll never build the system people deserve.’
Kari Gerstheimer, CEO and founder of Access Social Care writing in Politics.co.uk 10th June 2026.
Screenshot of Kari’s quote in the Politics.co.uk article
In her recent article for Politics.co.uk, Access Social Care CEO Kari Gerstheimer argues that while Andy Burnham is right to push social care funding up the political agenda, the real issue goes much deeper.
You can read the full article here: Politics.co.uk article by Kari Gerstheimer
As Kari explains, social care reform cannot simply become another debate about who pays. The bigger problem is a system that too often focuses on restricting access to support rather than helping people live independently and with dignity.
At Access Social Care, we see every day how financial pressures have created a culture of rationing, where disabled people, older people and unpaid carers face unnecessary barriers to getting the support they need. Too often, help is delayed until people reach crisis point, despite the Care Act being built around principles of wellbeing and prevention.
Funding reform matters, but lasting change also requires a shift away from gatekeeping and towards enabling people to live the lives they choose.
Until social care is judged by how well it supports people to thrive — not by how many people it can exclude — we will continue to fall short of the system people deserve.
Read the full article here: Politics.co.uk