Published : 11 Sep 2026, 02:56 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:49 AM
A private hospital's failure to provide preventative medication contributed to the death of Lady Joan Branson, an inquest has concluded.
The 80-year-old, married to billionaire Sir Richard Branson, died on Nov 24 last year after suffering a cardiac arrest at The Lister Hospital in west London’s Chelsea.
Senior Coroner Prof Fiona Wilcox -- an official responsible for investigating sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths -- told Westminster Coroner's Court on Wednesday that Lady Branson received no prophylactic anticoagulants at the hospital despite a high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis, BBC reports.
Wilcox added that the death was likely avoidable and the lack of blood thinners probably triggered or contributed to her passing, the British broadcaster said.
The court heard that Glasgow-born Lady Branson entered the hospital on Nov 17 following a fall weeks earlier on Necker Island, a British Virgin Island owned by her husband.
She died after suffering a pulmonary embolism, a sudden, dangerous blockage in a lung artery, resulting from deep vein thrombosis.
Haematologist Dr George Adams told the inquest that Lady Branson was at an "extremely high risk" of blood clots, with her immobility and fracture being the biggest risk factors by far.
From her admission to her death, she did not receive any prophylactic anticoagulation, which is used to stop blood clots from forming.
The hospital's admitting doctor, Basir Kunduzi, did not complete a bleeding risk assessment on the day of her admission, the inquest heard.
Kunduzi said Lady Branson's death led him to reflect on his role as a doctor and the importance of good communication between team members, as per the report.
Delivering her verdict, Wilcox said the case did not involve neglect or a total absence of treatment.
After her death, Sir Richard described his wife as the “shining star around which our family's universe has always orbited”.
