PATIENTS were treated in corridors at Colchester General Hospital because of a large number of urgent admissions, it has been revealed.

Hospital bosses said Thursday and Friday were unusually busy in the accident and emergency department.

But the hospital’s emergency performance remained good, according to the trust.

“Goonerboy” left a message on the Gazette’s website, in response to the news the NHS North East Essex’s chief executive Paul Zollinger-Read is set to take on a six-month post at NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

He said: “My father-in-law was taken to the emrgency ward of Colchester Hospital last week.

“He spent 15 hours without food or a drink apart from water.

“He was lucky to have a bed in an assessment ward, many other patients were in the corridor as there is a serious bed shortage.

“I would strongly suggest that this man (Mr Zollinger-Read) focuses his attention on the urgent needs within his own trust before embarking on another role.”

Hospital spokesman Mark Prentice said a limited number of patients were cared for on trollies in the A&E department.

He continued: “Our four-hour A&E performance for last week (the number of patients seen within four hours) was 98.2 per cent – above the national target of 98 per cent.

“We did have a particularly high number of medical emergency admissions on Thursday and Friday.

“At the same time, we were unable to discharge as many patients as we would have liked to help free up some capacity.

“Sometimes, patients prefer to be on a trolley or bed in the corridor because it is more comfortable for them to lie down than to sit up in a chair.

“However, we apologise to them because we acknowledge that a corridor is not the best environment but these patients received the appropriate care from healthcare professionals.”

He said there is often no single cause for busy periods and it is difficult to predict when they will happen.

Late last year, the hospital remained on high alert for several weeks as staff struggled to discharge outgoing patients while coping with the influx of sick people.

The Gazette reported ambulances queuing outside the department and, at times, almost every bed in the hospital was full.

The trust announced plans in March to add 30 beds ready for winter 2009.