"Failure to Triage"

Recently my spouse lost the sight in their left eye.

I immediately drove my spouse to our family medical practitioner in Bassendean, my spouse was seen immediately by a medical practitioner who wrote a reference note and advised us to immediately attend a hospital. This we did, St John of God Midland Hospital.  I deposited my spouse into the Emergency Department and I parked my car. On arriving myself into the ED, I identified my spouse and I was showed the arrival tag, I asked my spouse if they had been seen by a Registered Nurse or other health practitioner for triage purposes. They had not.

I attempted to ask the same question about triage of someone behind the glass wall and nobody offered a conversation. I was approached by a volunteer who advised that my spouse would just have to wait. Unsatisfactory at best. Why? My spouse is a hospital trained retired RN with a Masters Degree and used to run an Emergency Department, and at another time was that hospital's Surgical Ward.  Hence, my spouse is well aware of the necessity of triage, as am I as an ex-professional soldier and officer. Indeed, I am aware that the practice first occurred during the Napoleonic wars by the French.

My spouse's sight has since returned in their eye and we have an appointment with an optometrist tomorrow.

I seek to know the following:

1.  Is this WA hospital policy to not triage people on entering any ED?

2.  If not, why not?

3.  If not, is the Health Minister aware of the refusal to triage?