THE mother of a boy who suffered brain damage at birth due to a string of hospital mistakes wants to raise awareness to try and stop it happening again.

Lisa Mainds and her husband, Stuart, were left devastated when their son, Findley, who is now three, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

It is believed his condition was caused by a 10 hour delay in delivering Findley by C-section at Stoke Mandeville Hospital which left the distressed child starved of oxygen.

After the Chesham couple took legal action, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust admitted liability for their son's brain damage due to the shortcomings in the obstretic treatment Mrs Mainds received.

They have written a letter to the couple to apologise and will pay out a compensation fee to the family.

Lisa, 33, said: "If only we could turn back the time. The money doesn't mean anything to us. Yes, it makes life easier.

"But at the end of the day we can only do what we can for Findley. "I don't want anyone else to go through what we went through.

"When you have a baby you want it to be the best time of your life.

"Findley was in hospital for 13 weeks."

Mrs Maids was admitted to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury at 11.20am on 19 August 2010 for the induction of labour and was given a cardiotocograph (CTG) which measures fetal heartbeat and the uterine contractions.

During the course of the labour doctors carried out four separate CTGs but on each occasion they failed to correctly diagnose Findley’s distress.

If the problem had been spotted, Mrs Mainds could have been given an emergency Caesarean section hours up to 10 hours earlier. As it was, she was not taken to theatre until 11.25pm.

Findley was eventually born at 12.27am on 20 August 10 but the delay meant he had been starved of oxygen and left in distress for more than 10 hours.

Due to his poor condition he was transferred to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, and later diagnosed with grade 3 Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) - the most severe grading of brain damage and with permanent damage to both kidneys.

Mrs Mainds said: "I didn't get a cuddle with him until about three weeks later.

"I couldn't touch him or stroke him as he was in such pain. We could only place our hand on his forehead. It was awful."

She is now his full time carer while Stuart, 40, works as a car mechanic.

She said Findley falls over a lot and needs help to move around.

Lisa said: "I am bitterly angry. The NHS have given us a written apology but it doesn't mean anything to me. My baby should have been perfect."

A statement said: "Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is sincerely sorry for the shortcomings in the obstetric treatment that Mrs Mainds received and we have written to the family to apologise. The Trust has admitted liability for Findley’s brain damage, including his cerebral palsy."

Mr and Mrs Mainds contacted law firm Slater & Gordon in October 2010 to begin legal proceedings.

Iona Meeres-Young, Clinical Negligence Lawyer at Slater & Gordon, said: "Within the context of labour - 10 hours is a significant timeframe in which the Trust had numerous opportunities to intervene. Findley now faces catastrophic injuries which were all entirely avoidable.

"Findley is still very young, but it is a relief to the family that the defendants have admitted liability - parties can now concentrate on assessing Findley’s disabilities and ensuring he has appropriate compensation to meet his needs.

"Lisa and Stuart have dedicated their entire lives to Findley who will require lifelong care and support."