What role should customer service play in social care?

Guardian Social Care Network blog by Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service.

If the UK is to develop a social care market that promotes quality, customers need information about the performance of care providers. With an ageing population, demand for affordable social care will increase in the coming years.

Recent investigations into the NHS have brought the importance of care standards sharply into focus. The 2013 budget highlighted new reforms to the financing of social care, which have implications for government, individuals and care providers. But what role will customer service play in this new care landscape?