Patients detained against their will in psychiatric hospitals will be able to access new independent review panels which will automatically review the status of such patients from today.
Despite calls from the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) to defer the operation of the panels, the Health Service Executive (HSE) last night said it was on target to ensure all involuntarily detained patients would have their status reviewed within 21 days of admission.
About 2,600 people with psychiatric problems are detained on an involuntary basis each year.
From today their legal status will be reviewed by an independent panel that includes a consultant psychiatrist, a legal expert and a lay person.
Martin Rogan, the HSE's assistant national director for mental health, said the new panels will provide for greater transparency. He said the panels - known as mental health tribunals - will have the capacity to review around 250 cases a month.
"The previous legislation, the 1945 Mental Treatment Act, was impressive for its time. But it predated effective medications and treatment approaches. Modern treatments, therapies and skills bring improved outcomes. The Mental Health Act 2001 reflects such modernisation," he said.
"They will provide for absolute transparency in the case of detentions. The old suspicions around involuntary detention will no longer apply. Patients will have a legal adviser and a peer advocate to ensure they understand what is going on."
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association said the new tribunals would be "operating on a wing and a prayer" for several months due to a lack of administrative preparation by health service management.
The IMO said there was anxiety among doctors at the administrative arrangements. It claimed 20 additional consultant psychiatrist posts, to facilitate the tribunals, have yet to be advertised.
