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 been shortlisted for a major award.

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.

Leah 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, which will take place on Friday October 18 at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff  hosted by radio and TV presenter Jason Mohammad.

Leah is shortlisted in the Commitment to Training and Development category which is sponsored by City and Guilds and WJEC Consortium.

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.

She says she is not used to being the centre of attention so was very shocked to learn she had been shortlisted for the Wales Care Awards.

“I am overwhelmed but looking forward very much to the ceremony in Cardiff,” she added.

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.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards, said: “Our aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines on the front line of social across Wales.

“The care sector is full of wonderful people because it’s not just a job it’s a vocation – these are the people who really do have the X Factor.

“If you don’t recognise the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.

“We need to do all we can to raise the profile of the care sector workforce – they deserve to be lauded and applauded.

“It is a pleasure to honour the contribution of all the finalists. Each and every one of them should be very proud of their achievement.”