"Ruptured appendix"

My adult sibling was referred to Midland ED recently for an ultrasound with their GP querying appendicitis. They were in severe abdominal pain, unable to walk or stand properly, nauseous, vomiting and having diarrhea.

My sibling waited 6 hours to be seen by anyone in ED. After that 6 hours they were told be a nurse that they'd had several priority cases present via ambulance and that they wouldn't be seeing a doctor anytime soon. By that point my sibling and my parent who are both FIFO workers and had flown back from site due to my sibling being unwell had been awake for over 24hours. They opted to leave the ED.

I understand long wait times and prioritisation within the ED as a clinician myself. I question though why there was seemingly no waiting room nurse rounding on the patients in the waiting room? My parent relayed a story of another patient they witnessed collapsing at the triage desk, three nursing staff were present at the desk triaging patients and did not stop their activities to tend to this patient. It was another patient in the waiting room that came to their aid and requested assistance from the nurses.

It seems to me these nurses were under immense pressure that night, where was their support? Apparently they had ambulance patients been left in the waiting area so I understand they must've been run off their feet.

It turns out my sibling did have appendicitis and it ruptured. They went in for emergency surgery at a different hospital. I am grateful we were able to escalate their care and get them the required interventions. I am worried though that due to the overrun of Midland hospital that they potentially missed the clinical signs of deterioration in my sibling. Perhaps they should've been given a different triage score? I am unsure but from my perspective it appears that Midland ED was operating at levels unsafe for patients and staff.