The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Forensic Mental Health Services and Clinical Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on forensic mental health service provision and implementation. This study aimed to provide an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 related restrictions on routine outcomes within a large forensic mental health service in London, UK.

Method: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study using data collected routinely prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2018-March 2020) and then stages thereafter (March 2020-March 2021; analyzed as March-May 2020, June-September 2020, October-December 2020, January-March 2021).