A council meeting was informed that a senior citizen waited in A&E for ten hours in a wheelchair without access to water or painkillers.
Southend Hospital was brought up by Labour councilor Donna Richardson of Southend-on-Sea City Council.
She claimed the patient was unable to access a bathroom and was "in a lot of pain.".
The hospital's COO, Andrew Pike, apologized and said: "That's not something we should tolerate. ".
What procedure are you going to implement to try and help elderly patients in A&E? Ms. Richardson questioned the council's people scrutiny committee.
"Every patient in the emergency department should be regularly checked on," said Mr. Pike of the hospital's operating trust, the Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust.
"Patients who stay there for a prolonged period of time should receive food and support.
"I'm very sorry to hear that, and that's not something we should tolerate. This patient was there for ten hours, was elderly, and should not have been left sitting there.
"The procedures were implemented. That shouldn't have happened. ".
The two-day wait for her father's discharge, according to Helen Boyd, a Conservative councillor for the Blenheim Park ward, was "chaotic.".
Mr. Pike stated: "I do want to reassure you that the process of our integrated discharge team collaborating with our hospital at home team or the enhanced discharge service, our care planning, and our liaison with our passenger transport service is better. ".
A pilot program to establish a ward specifically for releasing patients who were ready to go home had been successful, he continued.
PALS complaints are challenging to access, according to Owen Richards, chief executive officer of Healthwatch Southend, during the meeting.
The complaints service is not acceptable, according to Mr. Pike, because of how long it takes.
"We are currently making efforts to ensure that when complaints are first received, we try and contact the patient directly to see if we can resolve it before it goes into the formal process.
. "
