A Pontypool care sector manager whose love for her job helped carry her through an “awful” time when her baby daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition has landed a major award for her commitment and dedication.

Leah Webb and her partner were told by doctors, when their daughter Ayla was just one year old, that she was suffering from MPS1 Hurler Syndrome.

The young mum had to put her life on hold for months while Ayla underwent a transplant operation to combat the illness but throughout this traumatic period she continued to do her job.

Leah laid the foundations for a new approach to workforce development through the creation of multiple, needs-led workshops for the staff at Expanding Horizons, transforming the way that support staff are developed within the organisation.

It is this dedication to her job that has seen 30-year-old Leah, who lives in Talywain, Pontypool, win a place in the final of a major national competition – the 2024 Wales Care Awards, known as the Oscars of social care and sponsored by Ontex Healthcare.

And at the glittering presentation evening in the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff, hosted by radio and TV presenter Jason Mohammad, Leah took bronze in the Commitment to Training and Development category which was sponsored by City and Guilds and WJEC Consortium and was presented by Kevin Barker, Deputy Chief Inspector, Care Inspectorate Wales.

Born and raised in Pontypool, Leah left school after completing her A-levels and took a job as a support worker in a local mental health hospital helping with patients’ rehabilitation.

After a couple of years there she had planned to go on to university and begin a foundation degree in community health and wellbeing before the pandemic changed her plans for her.

During Covid she began thinking that she’d actually like to go into social care, so she went on to re-arrange her degree course to incorporate health and social care management and subsequently left the hospital where she had been working.

She originally applied to be a support worker with Expanding Horizons which provides a range of personalised support services for over 50 adults with mental health issues, learning disabilities and other complex needs in both residential and supported living settings across Wales.

But Leah recalls that the senior manager who interviewed her spotted her potential and offered her the position of people, culture and wellbeing officer. However, it wasn’t long before she took on the additional role of area manager for supported living.

A year ago she and her partner Sam, an electrician who she is planning to marry next year, were devastated to discover that baby Ayla had Hurler Syndrome, which means a vital enzyme is missing which controls the breakdown of sugar and leads to problems in different areas of the body.

Leah said: “It was an awful time and we were told that her condition required a stem-cell transplant to correct it. She first had chemotherapy and then went to Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital for the operation followed by a period in isolation so that she didn’t catch anything afterwards.

“I’m glad to say she’s now home and doing very well and luckily this happened to her at a very young age which means she has no memory of what she has been through.

“Because I love my job so much it helped me cope with a very stressful and worrying period. For eight weeks I had to concentrate on Ayla. I was hardly ever able to go into the office but I continued to carry out my role remotely. This gave me a focus at a very difficult period of my life and, frankly, kept me sane.”

During the same period Leah was responsible for working for the implementation of a new recording system at Expanding Horizons which she says has shown “massive” improvements in quality in the first quarter since it was implemented.

“We devised an easy-read version of our client complaints policy which also has a video version. We are doing the same in other areas such as with our safeguarding policy and we will eventually have a whole library of policies on video that are accessible for both staff and those that we support” Leah explained.

Expanding Horizons’ Director Ellis Jenkins, who recognised Leah’s potential during her initial interview, says in her awards nomination: “She has made a significant contribution to the improvements in quality by developing the skills and knowledge of her colleagues in-house.

“She understands the importance of ongoing training and development to improve service delivery and enhance the overall quality of care.”

Leah said she wasn’t used to being the centre of attention so was overwhelmed but proud to be shortlisted for the Wales Care Awards.

Mario Kreft, chairman of Care Forum Wales, said the standard of entries was extremely high.

He added: “There are only winners here tonight so it is only fitting that the finalists will receive a gold, silver or bronze Wales Care Award.

“I trust that they will continue to inspire those around them as role models and encourage others to aspire to even greater heights and in the months and years to come.

“This awards ceremony is our opportunity to pay tribute and to celebrate the talent and commitment that is improving the quality of life for thousands and thousands of people throughout Wales.

”We take our hats off to them.”