A mother-of-three who defied the odds to qualify as a nurse is in line for a prestigious award.

Sarah Lees, 47, from Pembroke Dock, has been shortlisted for a top award at this year’s Wales Care Awards, which are held every year to pay tribute to the frontline heroes of social care.

Colleagues describe Sarah as “a champion in social care who transforms the lives of those around her”.

She completed her nursing qualification at Oxford Brookes University as a mature student while going through a divorce and looking after her three children, one of whom has leaning difficulties and her youngest has been diagnosed with ADHD.

Sarah got through her studies thanks to the help of those around her, and her career has since gone from strength-to-strength.

According to Sarah, the proudest moment of her career to date was successfully turning around the fortunes of Shaw Healthcare’s Cartref Cleddau, formerly Pembroke Dock care home, a 24-bed mental health nursing home where she works as the Service Manager.

She’s looking forward to the presentation ceremony, sponsored by Meddyg Care, at Cardiff’s Holland House Hotel on Friday, October 17, after being nominated in the Independent Sector Nurse of the Year category, which is sponsored by Ontex Healthcare.

She’s also been successful in becoming a Queen’s Nurse and will be accepting her badge and certificate at a ceremony in London in November.

Sarah started her nursing training as a mature student after working as a carer for a number of years.

She said: “I was working as a healthcare support worker on nights and felt like I wanted to enhance my knowledge and experience and influence the direction of care offered.

“Looking back now I don’t know how I got through my course, but I am glad I finished. It required a lot of juggling but I had lots of help around me which I am so grateful for.”

After completing her training, Sarah took a role as a district nurse with the aim of pursuing a career in a nursing home.

Sarah joined Cartref Cleddau in July 2019 as a deputy manager before being promoted to service manager in December 2021.

Sarah’s proudest moment of her career to date is implementing the changes at Cartref Cleddau, which mean the facility can now offer whole of life care.

Sarah explained: “Previously we could not look after residents with dementia. A diagnosis of dementia would mean that we would no longer be able to care for those residents resulting in them facing huge disruption. That is no longer the case and all staff are fully trained to care for people with dementia, keeping their care stable and secure.”

As well as being an avid reader, Sarah enjoys spending time with her three dogs who love nothing more than chasing a ball on the beach a few minutes away from home.

Speaking about her award nomination she said: “I was lost for words when I had the call to say I had been nominated. I am very proud to have received the nomination and I am really looking forward to the ceremony.”

Sean Tregonning, Head of Marketing and Communications at Shaw Healthcare, said: “Sarah is not just an outstanding service manager, she is a champion in social care.

“She doesn’t just manage a care home; she transforms lives those of her residents, their families, and the staff she mentors.

“When Sarah took on the role of service manager, it didn’t come without its challenges. As well as low morale with many of the team, the home was operating with a high number of empty beds but Sarah’s drive, passion and determination, along with her kind and caring manner, turned the home around to which it now boasts a waiting list and a team of happy employees.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “Care Forum Wales has been working tirelessly for more than 30 years to promote the social care sector.

“We established the Wales Care Awards to show our appreciation to the workforce and the wider sector for the remarkable and vitally important contribution everybody makes, day in day out.

“The event underlines the importance of the social care sector. It is the glue that binds our communities together, both socially and economically.

“Our mission is to be the voice of social care in Wales to advocate on the sector’s behalf, holding truth to power in order to secure a fair deal to recognise the dedication of our front line heroes and heroines across our nation.

“If you don’t value 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.

“Every single one of our finalists is a winner and will be presented with a gold, silver or bronze award.”