More aged care beds, a bolstered workforce and an efficient patient care process is what's needed to tackle ambulance ramping in Western Australia, the health sector's unions say.

It comes as St John WA figures reveal ambulances spent a record 7,257 hours ramped outside hospitals in September, an all-time record.

I t's the third consecutive month ambulance ramping hours have exceeded 7,000 , with WA Health Minister Meredith Hammat continuing to blame the state’s severe flu season and aging population for the alarming trend.

"It is I think important to remember we've gone through one of the worst flu seasons in some time, and those cases have continued through into September," she said.

"We've also seen very high numbers of older Western Australians in our hospital system who are medi

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