We carried out a review of the data available to us about Emerald Agency on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Emerald Agency, you can give feedback on this service.
Emerald Agency is domiciliary care agency and supported living service. They provide support and personal care to people living in their own apartments or a shared house in Ryde. Not everyone using Emerald Agency received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection fifteen people were receiving a regulated activity from Emerald Agency.
People’s experience of using this service:
• People were happy with the care they received from the staff at Emerald Agency. One person said, “I’m very happy with everything.”
• People told us they received safe care. People were supported by consistent and suitably trained staff.
• People received support to take their medicines safely and as prescribed.
• Risks to people's well-being and environmental safety were recorded and updated when the circumstances changed.
• People's rights to make their own decisions were respected. Staff supported people to make choices in line with legislation.
• People were supported to access health and social care professionals if needed.
• People's dietary needs were assessed and where required, people were supported with
their meals.
• People were supported to be as independent as possible and encouraged to develop life skills.
• Care plans were detailed and person centred. People were involved in deciding how they wished to be supported and in reviewing their care plans when needed. Information was available in a format they could understand.
• Staff were kind, patient and responsive to people's needs. People were treated with dignity and staff respected their privacy.
• People knew how to complain and were confident that if they raised concerns, the management would act promptly to address these.
• People and staff were fully engaged in the running of the service.
• The management team had effective quality assurance systems in place.
• The service worked well with other partners, organisations and commissioners.
Rating at last inspection:
Good (report published 23 May 2016).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
Emerald Agency provides support and personal care to people with a learning disability living in their own apartments or a shared house in Ryde. Not everyone required a personal care service and at the time of our inspection seven people were receiving personal care from Emerald Agency.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service was previously inspected in January 2014 when we identified medicines were not always managed in accordance with the provider’s policies. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and people received their medicines safely.
There were enough staff to support people effectively and staff were knowledgeable about how to spot the signs of abuse and report it appropriately. People said they felt safe with care staff and were complimentary about the staff caring for them.
People said they were satisfied with the service. They told us care was provided with respect for their dignity. People said staff were caring and that they promoted a friendly atmosphere with them. Staff spoke about people in a kind and caring manner. Staff, and the registered manager, followed legislation designed to protect people’s rights. They always asked for consent from people before providing care
People’s care plans were personalised and their preferences were respected. Care plans were reviewed regularly and people felt involved in the way their care was planned and delivered. People were asked for feedback on the service they received and any concerns were addressed promptly.
Recruitment procedures ensured people had the opportunity to have a say about potential new staff. All necessary pre-employment procedures and checks were undertaken before people commenced working for the agency. Staff had completed training appropriate to their role and an ongoing plan of training was in place.
Staff worked well as a team and said the registered manager provided support and guidance as they needed it. Procedures were in place to investigate complaints and learn from any accidents or incidents.
Medicines were kept securely in locked cupboards within people's rooms. However, we found the procedures for administering medication were not always followed and some records were inaccurate. Medicines auditing procedures had not always been followed by some staff.
Staff received appropriate training and support. Staff supervision was regular and effective and staff had access to a range of training relevant to their role.
A complaints policy was in place and was followed when the service received a complaint. People knew how to complain and how to access support to make a complaint if they needed to. Everyone we spoke with said they had no complaints about the service.
Records were clear and relevant. They were easy to locate and read and contained appropriate information.
Care plans and risk assessments were in place and we saw that these were reviewed and updated regularly. Quality assurance procedures were in place, including monthly meetings with people using the service and staff meetings.
Systems were in place to train and induct new staff and we saw records showing that all staff received regular training. People we spoke to said they would take any concerns about care to the manager. Staff were familiar with local safeguarding procedures and felt confident that any concerns would be acted on quickly by the manager.