Lister Hospital anticoagulation failure contributed to Lady Joan Branson's death, inquest finds
Senior coroner rules lack of preventative medication at Chelsea hospital caused or contributed to death of Sir Richard Branson's wife.
Incident → evidence → outcomeA failure by the Lister Hospital in Chelsea to provide preventative medication contributed to the death of Lady Joan Branson, 80, an inquest has concluded. Lady Joan died on November 24 after suffering a cardiac arrest at the private hospital.
Westminster Coroner’s Court heard that Lady Joan died following a pulmonary embolism, a blockage in a lung artery, which resulted from deep vein thrombosis. She had been admitted to the Lister Hospital on November 17 after sustaining a fall weeks earlier on Necker Island, the British Virgin Islands retreat owned by her husband, Sir Richard Branson.
Coroner's Findings
Professor Fiona Wilcox, senior coroner for Inner West London, stated that Lady Joan did not receive prophylactic anticoagulants during her hospital stay. The coroner noted that she had a "very high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis".
Giving her conclusion, Professor Wilcox said: “I do find her death would have likely been prevented and the lack of anticoagulation did cause or contribute to her death probably.” The Lister Hospital is owned and operated by HCA Healthcare.
Questions this report answers
01How did Lady Joan Branson die?
Lady Joan Branson died on November 24 at the Lister Hospital in Chelsea after suffering a cardiac arrest. This followed a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous blockage in a lung artery, which resulted from deep vein thrombosis.
02What did the inquest find about her hospital care?
The inquest found that Lady Joan did not receive prophylactic anticoagulants at the Lister Hospital, despite having a high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. The senior coroner stated this lack of preventative medication contributed to her death.
03When was Lady Joan Branson admitted to hospital and why?
Lady Joan Branson was admitted to the Lister Hospital on November 17. This followed a fall she had sustained weeks earlier on Necker Island, the private retreat in the British Virgin Islands owned by her husband, Sir Richard Branson.
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