The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound worldwide impact on health. Acute Confusional Syndrome (ACS) is the most common neuropsychiatric complication in COVID-19 infection.

Describe the characteristics of the admited patients attended by the liaison psychiatry service for acute confusional syndrome during the COVID 19 pandemic. Sociodemographical and clinical variables were descrived.

We conducted an observational, descriptive study. All patients attended by the liaison psychiatry service of Hospital del Mar, between February and April 2020, with ACS diagnosis were included.

We included 62 patients with acute confusional syndrom; 35 were men (56.5%), and mean age was 71.71 years (standard deviation [SD]:11.345). The mean duration of admision stay was 41.19 days [SD: 38.039]. The mean number of consultations carried out was 6.5 [SD: 5.422]. 52.5% of our sample of our sample had confusional symptoms for 8 days. 50 patients presented complications during admission (80.6%), of which 43 patients developed infectious complications (69.4%). 59 patients had a history of chronic diseases (95.2%). 54 patiens (88.5%) had potencial risk factors associated with acute confusional syndrome including: isolation in 24 (39.3%), active infection in 46 (74.2%), hypoxemia in 25 (40.3%), previous cognitive impairment in 15 (24.6%)

Acute Confusional Syndrome mainly affects people with risk factors such as isolation, active infection and hypoxemia (which in turn are symptoms of Covid-19).

No significant relationships.

In September 2014, as part of a national initiative to increase access to liaison psychiatry services, the liaison psychiatry services at Bristol Royal Infirmary received new investment of £250 000 per annum, expanding its availability from 40 to 98 h per week. The long-term impact on patient outcomes and costs, of patients presenting to the emergency department with self-harm, is unknown.

To assess the long-term impact of the investment on patient care outcomes and costs, of patients presenting to the emergency department with self-harm.

Monthly data for all self-harm emergency department attendances between 1 September 2011 and 30 September 2017 was modelled using Bayesian structural time series to estimate expected outcomes in the absence of expanded operating hours (the counterfactual). The difference between the observed and expected trends for each outcome were interpreted as the effects of the investment.

Over the 3 years after service expansion, the mean number of self-harm attendances increased 13%. Median waiting time from arrival to psychosocial assessment was 2 h shorter (18.6% decrease, 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI) −30.2% to −2.8%), there were 45 more referrals to other agencies (86.1% increase, 95% BCI 60.6% to 110.9%) and a small increase in the number of psychosocial assessments (11.7% increase, 95% BCI −3.4% to 28.5%) per month. Monthly mean net hospital costs were £34 more per episode (5.3% increase, 95% BCI −11.6% to 25.5%).

Despite annual increases in emergency department attendances, investment was associated with reduced waiting times for psychosocial assessment and more referrals to other agencies, with only a small increase in cost per episode.