"appalling, disorganised, unprofessional and..."

What could be improved

my dad was admitted to wivenhoe ward at approx 9.30 am, following admission via a and e. when my sister arrived at @11.30 staff did not know he was on the ward. when my mum arrived at 5pm she was told the same. Following an ultra sound prior to coming to the wrad he was told he wasnt allowed food or drink as he may have to be operated on. he was told the doctors would review the scan once on the ward and a decision made. He was advised by the nurse on the ward that he may have an infection so they would need to deal with that first. However he was not seen, nor his scans reviewed for over 24 hours. During this time he had no food or drink and a severe infection had developed and he had to be on hourly obs. During this time he had also been unable to take the regular meds he has for other medical conditions. He was released xmas eve once the infection was controlled but still awaiting an op. he was told this would happen within two weeks. Having heard nothing since my mum has called the hospital today (4/1/13)and been told that he hasnt been put on the list for an operation. She was told he isnt the only one who has been missed off. There are clearly huge operational and communication issues that need to be addressed. How can the staff on a ward not know a patient is there for a day? why was my dad not assessed by a doctor for over 24 hours during which time he became severely ill?why was his operation not processed?