An inquest has found that a lack of preventative blood‑clot medication contributed to the death of Joan Branson, the wife of businessman Richard Branson, after she was admitted to a London private hospital in November 2025.
The virtual hearing heard that Lady Joan, 80, was admitted to the Lister Hospital on 17 November after a fall on Necker Island left her with pelvic and hip fractures, and she did not receive prophylactic anticoagulants before she died, the inquest record shows.
Haematologist Dr George Adams told the court that Lady Joan was at an “extremely high risk” of developing blood clots because of her immobility and fractures, and that appropriate anticoagulation “reduces the number of clots and the size of those clots”, testimony reported by the coroner recorded.
The senior coroner for Inner West London, Professor Fiona Wilcox, concluded the lack of anticoagulation “did cause or contribute to her death probably” and said the death “would have likely been prevented”, according to court findings reported at the inquest.
Evidence at the inquest said Lady Joan did not receive a Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment on admission and lacked Thrombo‑Embolus Deterrent stockings in the first 48 hours, steps doctors said should have been taken to reduce clot risk.
Doctors who gave evidence said the admitting doctor delayed prescribing anticoagulants until after a CT scan to rule out bleeding, while other clinicians said the first dose “should have” been given within 12 hours of admission, testimony reported at the hearing stated.
Joan Branson died on 24 November 2025 after suffering a pulmonary embolism, a blockage in a lung artery caused by deep vein thrombosis, the inquest record says. The coroner described the case as not one of neglect but still found the hospital’s failures contributed to the outcome.
Richard Branson and his family paid tribute after her death; the inquest also heard that steps have since been taken at the hospital to strengthen VTE assessment and prevention, the court was told.
Sources
- Boston 25 News — reported the coroner’s finding that lack of clot‑prevention medication contributed to Lady Joan’s death and provided admission and timeline details.
- The Independent — published the inquest coverage including quotes from haematologists and Professor Fiona Wilcox’s conclusion that anticoagulation would probably have prevented the death.
