Mental Health Risk Assessment and Safety Planning During UK Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown: Mixed Methods Survey and Interview Study

Risk assessment and safety planning are central to mental health nursing practice but were seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. In this study, we aimed to explore how the UK pandemic lockdowns affected risk assessment and safety planning from the perspective of mental health practitioners. A sequential, mixed methods study design was used. A link to an online survey questionnaire was distributed and semi-structured interviews with a subset of respondents were conducted. Survey data were analysed to describe perceived changes in the frequency and nature of risk assessment and safety planning during the pandemic lockdowns. This was supplemented by thematic analysis of qualitative interview data. In total, 106 practitioners were surveyed and 10 participated in semi-structured interviews. More respondents increased than decreased risk assessment frequency but there was no significant overall change. Remote contact was more common in community settings and largely involved telephone appointments. Participants did not wish to continue with remote working following the pandemic. Risk assessment practice changed in UK mental health services as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns.