In the future, those looking for a social carer will have significantly more choice, an expert has suggested.

Writing for The Guardian, blogger Neil Barr said that the government's local-scale changes will allow people to have more choice in who their care comes from and which body will be able to provide the best value for money.

As a result of the heightened competition for work, Barr explains, those with domiciliary care jobs will increasingly want to boost their online presence to entice more of those people who have now been given more of a choice.

"Personal care budgets will inevitably result in more competition between agencies while a demand is being placed upon providers to offer a flexible and more diverse range of innovative services," Barr said. "It will be vital for organisers to adapt to these shifting conditions."

"As the government moves away from a rigid and paternal system of care to one which hands personal choice to the individual, information is becoming increasingly important."

Barr says the rise of the "silver surfers" (i.e. internet users over the age of 65) has only seen to strengthen these claims.

In speaking to BBC News of the reforms, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said, "I'm not interfering with them, I'm giving them greater freedom on both sides of the equation."