When the Ebola virus struck West Africa in 2014, the UK was at the forefront of the response in Sierra Leone. UK-Med played a critical role in this effort, working with the Department for International Development (DFID), the Department of Health, NHS England, and international NGOs to recruit, prepare, and deploy health professionals to the region.
UK-Med volunteers being trained during Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone
Through the International Emergency Medical Register (UKIEMR for Ebola), UK-Med recruited and trained 150 UK clinicians to work in DFID-funded Ebola Treatment Centres across Sierra Leone. These dedicated NHS volunteers worked alongside local medical teams, international NGOs, and DFID to help bring the outbreak under control.
The UK Ebola Response Programme was instrumental in supporting frontline health workers and reinforcing Sierra Leone’s fractured healthcare system. The programme’s primary aim was to deliver high-quality patient care while providing crucial support to national healthcare workers operating under extreme conditions.
UK-Med also trained and prepared standby teams, ensuring that additional support was ready to deploy if required. This initiative continued through to the conclusion of the programme in November 2015, funded by the UK government.
“I will never forget the celebration arranged by the local community and local staff when the final patient was discharged from the Ebola Treatment Centre.” - Rod Kelly (Paediatrician, Neonatal Transport Fellow and UK-Med member)
The UK’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone showcased the power of international collaboration and the dedication of healthcare professionals. UK-Med’s work in recruiting, training, and deploying NHS volunteers not only helped control the epidemic but also strengthened local healthcare capacity for future challenges.
“As well as providing nursing care at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town in Sierra Leone, I was involved in setting up a survivor’s clinic to ensure recovering patients had access to the correct diet, household goods and finances needed for them to access future treatment.
“I listened to many people’s stories of hardship. Some of the Sierra Leonian support staff I was working with were themselves Ebola survivors which was very powerful. They helped me to understand the difficulties and challenges the patients I was dealing with were facing.”
“I learned a lot about myself in Sierra Leone. One of the newly qualified nurses I worked with and who I still keep in touch with, embodied the level of commitment, determination and care the Sierra Leonean staff showed to move their people forward.”
“I’m Kirsty and my primary role is as a Paramedic. I got involved in UK-Med during a long and quiet night shift many years ago, I was browsing the web and came across the UKIETR and signed myself up. Many years went by, until Ebola in 2014-2015 when I got an email saying ‘can you help?’. I responded straight away with a yes and deployed with UK-Med and Save the Children to Kerrytown Ebola Treatment Centre in Sierra Leone working as a clinician, treating Ebola patients in the red zone. Whilst there I also took on the role of Medical Coordinator, working to admit and discharge patients. It was a hugely challenging and rewarding experience. Many of the team I deployed with I know are on the UK EMT register.”
“I came back from Sierra Leone and wanted to get more involved in the UK EMT. Whilst attending a members event in Manchester I was chatting to Richard Dear, the UK-Med Logistics manager, and mentioned my interest. That was in September 2017 and by November, I was on the first of many Deployment Courses (DC) as Logs Assistant. I have gone on to develop my humanitarian medical logistician knowledge by completing a funded med logs course and had the opportunity to work on developing the reconfiguration of the field hospital. I’ve attended many other courses provided by UK-Med, and spend many happy hours in a slightly cool warehouse working to maintain the medical supplies for the field hospital.”
“My name is Angela and I am a dual Portuguese and British Critical Care Outreach and Humanitarian nurse with nine years of progressive experience in healthcare, seven of them under the NHS in the UK and the remaining two within the international field. Throughout the year of 2018, I worked for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali in the remote and volatile region of Timbuktu.”
“I joined UK-Med in 2015, at the awakening of the West Africa Ebola outbreak. Undertaking the Ebola Response Pre-Departure Training for Sierra Leone and the Overseas Training Deployment to Malawi significantly shaped my understanding of an emergency response for a high consequence infectious disease.”
“The training and experience with UK-Med has given me the knowledge and skills to deploy worldwide, not only from a health care perspective, but also from a safety and security one. I remember vividly two of the most valuable lessons being the thorough PPE training when training for Sierra Leone and how to prepare an emergency bag with all the essential equipment to take in case of a security incident when training in Malawi. Those lessons have stayed and will stay with me for life. I have used them ever since in all missions. It is a clear example of how UK-Med training can prepare you for a humanitarian career.”
Read Rod’s story: https://www.uk-med.org/2019/08/15/member-voices-rod-kelly/
Read Rowena’s Story: https://www.uk-med.org/nhs-report/rowena/
Listen to Stephen speak on BBC Radio Merseyside: https://youtu.be/qETw52Monk4
Or read about his experiences: https://www.uk-med.org/nhs-report/stephen/
Listen to Harriet speak on BBC Radio Three Counties: https://youtu.be/fJRgK8NHKPY
Or read about her experiences: https://www.uk-med.org/nhs-report/harriet/