A former nurse has launched a scathing attack on the National Health Service following the "traumatic" death of her husband last week. Elizabeth Allcock, who lives at Osbaston, said she was appalled that it had taken the ambulance service three hours to respond to calls to take her 83 year husband, Philip, to hospital. She said staff at Nevill Hall Hospital had been slow in administering pain relief, although the treatment her husband had received in the intensive care unit had been very good. "I'm shocked at the ambulance service - I think it's absolutely disgraceful - he was so ill and in great pain," said Mrs Allcock. "I don't understand how the NHS is working - he should never have been left in the state he was. "The whole thing was basically horrendous. " Despite suffering heart failure seven years ago, Mr Allcock had led a relatively full life. "We've had seven really good years," said Mrs Allcock. "He did everything he wanted. He's painted every day, played his guitar, we've done a few flamenco shows, and he enjoyed making curry every Saturday night." Mr Allcock became ill on Sunday after falling down steps outside their back door. He was winded and sick during the night, and also complained of pains in his stomach. When his condition deteriorated the following day, Mrs Allcock called a doctor who said he had a chest infection and prescribed antibiotics. It was left to Mrs Allcock to make a decision on whether he needed hospital treatment. As his condition worsened during the evening, Mrs Allcock decided to call the out of hours service, "The doctor said he would get a bed for him and would call an ambulance, which would be about an hour." But when two hours passed and the ambulance failed to arrive, Mrs Allcock phoned again. "He was in a lot of pain - and I said please come quickly - but we had to wait another hour before an ambulance came." Mr Allcock subsequently underwent two emergency operations but died on Friday night. "We'd been married for 48 years and were hoping to celebrate our 50th anniversary. "I feel sad he had such a traumatic death," Mrs Allcock said. Monmouth MP David Davies has described the ambulance service in Monmouthshire as "absolutely disgraceful" and has put forward a series of proposals to the Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, Mr Alan Murray, on how the service could be improved. Mr Davies has suggested spending £200 on fitting each of the 13 ambulances in Gwent with a satellite navigation system to prevent them getting lost. "We also need to look at the roles of the GP out of hours contract in increasing ambulance calls. If people need a doctor but can't get to see one, there will be a temptation to phone for an ambulance instead." The most important practical change, Mr Davies suggests, is that some sort of "handover system" be put in place, whereby a nurse could be on duty in A and E at all times to assess incoming ambulance patients. Those with minor injuies could be moved off the ambulance trolley, and the more serious cases moved to a temporary bed. In the most serious cases the hospital could give the ambulance crew a spare trolley so that they could immediately go back out and deal with further calls. Mr Davies adds that recognition should be given to those living in rural areas. "I know you are trying to meet target times in Gwent by withdrawing ambulances from Monmouthshire at busy periods and placing them in Newport. This means that when residents in this area do need an ambulance it has to come a long way. I feel that this practice needs to halt. " Gary Witcombe, Chairman of the Monmouthshire Electors Community Pressure Group, has also written to Mr Murray criticising ambulance response times and stressing the need for two ambulances at the Monmouth depot, plus two response vehicles.