Lewisham Hospital was thrown into chaos by the arrival of a man with suspected Ebola over the weekend, according to reports.

According to The Sun, some staff with no training in how to deal with the deadly virus refused to go near the patient, who had arrived in the UK from Sierra Leone earlier this month.

The 24-year-old, who was admitted to the hospital's A&E department on Saturday evening (October 11), was treated as low risk and put into isolation. He was later found not to have the virus.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust claims it followed the guidelines for dealing with infectious diseases.

But a source told The Sun that the response had been "farcical" with some frightened staff demanding to know why he had not been sent to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead - one of four sites placed on standby to deal with an Ebola case.

He was also allowed to use a communal toilet and visitors could go in and see him, according to the newspaper.

The source said: "The hospital is unprepared. Staff are panicking and scared for their safety."

He went on: "He has even been allowed visitors, which means the infection is not being properly contained. It's unbelievable.

"You see pictures on TV of doctors in biohazard suits we only have an apron mask and flimsy surgical gloves."

A spokesman for the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “It’s important to stress that we did follow robust and established systems that are in place to manage and care for people with suspected infectious diseases. 

“Following a clinical assessment and advice from the Imported Fever Service Unit, the patient was identified as ‘low risk’ for Ebola.  They were always treated in isolation and all staff wore appropriate protective clothing. 

"As a low risk patient, they were allowed to see a visitor under controlled conditions (i.e. the visitor was given protective clothing for the duration of the visit).

“Tests have confirmed that the patient does not have the Ebola virus.

“We understand that cases like this can be alarming for staff, and it’s unfortunate someone has raised concerns publicly when the trust did follow best practice guidelines. 

"We will be speaking to staff to remind them of our protocols and procedures for infection control and to encourage them to let us know if they need any additional support."

The man's admission came after the NHS staged a dress-rehearsal response for any UK outbreak of the virus, which has claimed more than 4,000 victims across the globe, according to the World Health Organisation.

Last month, an untrue online rumour spread that a patient at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, had been diagnosed with the killer virus.