ONE designated visitor for each patient is now allowed into the Gilbert Bain Hospital by prior arrangement, NHS Shetland has confirmed. This comes in addition to visits deemed essential, which are: A birth partner during childbirth; A person receiving end-of- life care; To support someone with a mental health issue, dementia, a learning disability or autism where having a carer not present would cause the patient to be distressed; To accompany a child to hospital for an appointment or admission. NHS Shetland director of nursing and acute services Kathleen Carolan said: “Now that the Covid-19 infection rate in Shetland has fallen, we are able to support one designated visitor to come for each patient who is admitted to hospital. But this visit must be agreed with the nurse/midwife in charge of the ward before arriving at hospital for the visit.