A NURSE has returned to Sussex after spending six weeks helping victims of the Ebola crisis in Africa.

Jim Wood was among the first group of NHS volunteers to fly out to Sierra Leone to support the fight to contain the deadly virus, which has killed thousands of people.

Mr Wood, 46, from Ditchling, works in the accident and emergency department at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

The married father-of-two still has more than a week left of quarantine, after which he will be able to return to work.

Mr Wood had been thinking about going abroad to help when he saw a TV report about a scheme run by UK Aid for NHS volunteers.

It meant hospital bosses would be given the funding needed to cover Mr Wood’s post while he was away.

Mr Wood was among a group of 26 volunteer nurses, doctors and paramedics from around the country to fly out at the beginning of December.

He was immediately swept up in a gruelling series of shifts, which were physically and emotionally challenging.

The possibility he was putting his life at risk by becoming infected with the virus was constantly on his mind and he had to be alert and on his guard at all times.

Before he began work he would be decked out in scrubs, an all-in-one protective plastic suit, a hood, goggles, face mask, wellingtons and an apron.

He said: “I knew that if you were super vigilant and followed all the safety procedures, you would probably be OK, but the potential was always there.

“You had to constantly watch where you were walking so you would not trip or damage the suit and be extra careful with needles.

“It was not just yourself, you had to be constantly aware of anyone around you.

“The weather was also really hot so you would be constantly sweating and the goggles would be steaming up but you were not able to remove them.”

Mr Wood’s role involved teaching and mentoring Sierra Leone nationals who were working at the centre, and providing advice and information to help them continue their work after the volunteer teams had left.

He said: “We were lucky as we were right by a beach but there wasn’t really any time to make the most of it during your breaks because we were doing seven-day weeks.

Fortunately, Mr Wood was able to keep in daily contact with wife Eleanor and children Millie, 13, and Hermione, nine.

He said: “We are now a small global community and there is huge potential for the disease to spread. Keeping it contained was absolutely vital and want to contribute to that.

“I hope I have managed to make a little difference.

“I’ve already told UK Aid to keep my name on the list just in case.”