The state’s ambulance ramping crisis has escalated as paramedics wait as long as four hours to offload patients at hospitals. 

At one stage overnight, crews were unable to attend around 100 calls for help as they cared for their charges for hours.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said it was a particularly busy afternoon after the state experienced a 32 per cent increase in calls to triple-zero.

It was the fourth-highest number of calls on record.

Senior Nine News reporter Peter Fegan told Rob McKnight the state government is investigating why there were so many calls for help yesterday.

“It will be interesting when that data is released,” he said.

“But again, it opens up the argument of what happens if this happens again?”

Press PLAY below to hear Peter Fegan’s full report 

Image: Nine News