A transgender patient has praised staff at a mental health charity for recognising her pronouns and welcoming her onto a female ward.

Amy Rice, who is a patient at St Andrew’s Healthcare, has waived her anonymity as she wanted to raise awareness of the importance of language during Transgender Awareness Week.

The 38-year-old said: “Language is very important because it values me as a person. The pronouns are also very important because it can cause incidents if you get the pronouns wrong and also makes that person feel extremely devalued.

“St Andrew’s is the only hospital I’ve been to where they have actually accepted me and put me on a female ward. So they accept me as a male to female transitioning.”

Amy has issued advice to other healthcare professionals, urging them to “listen” to the patient to “see what they’ve got to say.

She has advised that personal questions should be avoided because it can make the person feel “uncomfortable” and to just “support” the person in any way they can.

Amy has known from the age of six that she wanted to be a woman, but she hid it until she was 23. However, hiding who she really was had taken its toll and she had started to drink and take drugs.

Eventually she found the courage to talk to a doctor and she has been taking hormones for several years.

To watch Amy's interview, click here.