But Gabriela Woutersz, 24, was not admitted for treatment at the hospital, and instead went home and later allegedly killed Norma Cheryl Woutersz, 56.

Woutersz is accused of inflicting fatal injuries to her mother's head, tying her hands and feet with rope, and leaving her body in the backyard of their Dunlop home.

The alleged murder took place on the afternoon of Friday, October 17, and Woutersz was arrested at the scene later that night.

It can be revealed now that Woutersz sought help from the emergency department at Canberra Hospital on Wednesday, October 15.

The full extent of her interaction with hospital staff is not clear but it is understood she at least told them she needed help and was depressed.

Patients are typically put through multiple levels of screenings when they go to hospitals complaining of mental health issues. They are generally admitted if they are deemed unstable.

Woutersz was not admitted to the hospital, and instead was allowed to go home.

Yet four days later, when she appeared in court charged with murder, serious concerns were being raised about her mental state.

The court sent her immediately to Canberra Hospital's mental health unit for assessments.

She returned to court four days later, but medical staff said they needed more time to assess her. She was sent back to the psychiatric unit for weeks, and was eventually transferred to the Alexander Maconochie Centre, where she remains.

The prosecution and her defence are attempting to have more testing done. Her barrister Bernard Collaery has said she is not being treated adequately in the Alexander Maconochie Centre and should be in a secure mental health facility, which the ACT still lacks.

ACT Health said it could not comment on the personal clinical details of the case or on criminal proceedings before the court.

"ACT Health is committed to the promotion of good mental health and the provision of mental health services," a spokeswoman said.

Patients who present to the hospital with mental health problems are generally triaged by emergency department staff on arrival, and admitted immediately if they are deemed unstable.

Even if the person is considered stable, a further mental health screening is supposed to occur if there are concerns about their state of mind.

Then they will be discharged or taken to a mental health assessment unit for a more comprehensive assessment by a clinician.

Victims of Crime Commissioner John Hinchey said the circumstances of the presentation should be investigated.

"If Gabriela did make herself known it would be very concerning," he said. "The consequences of that need to be investigated once this court case is over to get to the bottom of what happened."

The revelation that Woutersz sought help unsuccessfully will add to the debate about mental health services in the ACT.

Two recent murder caseshave raised questions about the territory's mental health system.

Aleksander Vojneski, 31, was said to have slipped through the system's cracks during his chequered life in the ACT.

Vojneski, an ice addict who was paranoid schizophrenic, stabbed to death his partner Paula Conlon, 30, in a Macgregor home in 2012.

Before he was sentenced to life, Vojneski's barrister Jack Pappas spoke at length of his client's mental health problems, which he had suffered since his teenage years.

"For a number of years, Mr Vojneski continued to slip through the fingers of the mental health system, and his condition continued to get worse," Mr Pappas said.

The case of Gabor Laszlo Aranyi, 35, also raised questions about the services in the ACT.

Aranyi strangled his mother to death in the kitchen of their Yarralumla home in 2012, after she pestered him to go to an assessment with mental health services.

Twice before her death, Aranyi's mother had told mental health workers she feared her son, who was paranoid schizophrenic, was going to hurt or kill her.

She sought an order through the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal in late February to have her son's mental health assessed, which was eventually granted.

The tribunal ordered Aranyi be assessed by the Woden mental health service on April 2, one month and 10 days after his mother expressed fears for her safety.

The day before the appointment, she went to service and delivered a letter saying she feared her son was going to hurt her.

The next day, she pestered her son to go to the appointment and he strangled her to death.

Aranyi was treated and medicated properly while in custody and his condition stabilised. He was found not guilty of murder by way of mental impairment.

He realises now and regrets what he has done.