A coroner’s inquest has determined that the death of Lady Joan Branson, the wife of Sir Richard Branson, could have been prevented had she been given medication after suffering a fall weeks prior.
A coroner’s court said Joan Branson, 80, was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 17 after falling a few weeks earlier on Necker Island, a British Virgin Island owned by her husband, the BBC reported.
She had broken her pelvis and hip, according to The Telegraph.
Hematologist Dr. George Adams told the inquest that she had an “extremely high risk” for blood clots and the “biggest risk factor by far was her immobility and her fracture.”
But senior coroner Prof. Fiona Wilcox said Joan Branson did not receive prophylactic anticoagulants at the hospital despite having a “very high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis.”
Anticoagulants prevent blood clots from forming.
Adams also testified that not placing compression stockings on Joan Branson in the first 48 hours of her being admitted may have made “a small contribution to the death.”
Her daughter, Dr. Holly Branson, said via email that her mother had a history of blood clots dating to 2010 and would not have refused anticoagulants if they had been offered, according to The Telegraph.
“Had I been aware she was not receiving Enoxaparin injections, I would have been very concerned given her recent long haul travel and medical history,” Holly Branson wrote.
As for the compression stockings, Holly Branson said, “I noticed she was not wearing them and asked the nurses. My impression from the doctors was that this was an oversight on their part.”
The doctor who admitted Joan Branson to the Lister Hospital, Dr. Basir Kunduzi, did not do a bleeding risk assessment when she was admitted, according to testimony given during the inquest.
As for the blood-clot-preventing medication, Kunduzi said, “I thought she should have been,” given the treatment, but it was his responsibility to prescribe it.
He said he decided to delay it until a CT scan was performed to ensure there was no bleeding, which could have gotten worse with the anticoagulants.
Dr. Nevil Pavithran told the inquest that Joan Branson “should have received her first dose of anticoagulation prophylaxis within 12 hours of admission,” adding that not doing so caused “a significant risk,” The Independent reported.
Joan Branson died after suffering a pulmonary embolism, or a blockage in the lung, caused by deep vein thrombosis. She died at the Lister Hospital in Chelsea, west London, The Telegraph reported.
“I do find her death would have likely been prevented and the lack of anticoagulation did cause or contribute to her death probably,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox said Joan Branson’s death was “not a case of neglect” and there “wasn’t an absence of treatment.”
Kunduzi said Joan Branson’s death led him to “reflect on my role as a doctor” and the importance of “good communication between team members.”
Dr. Inaki Bovil, who consulted on Joan Branson’s case, said there has been " a lot of work at the Lister to make it more robust around VTE (Venous Thromboembolism assessment) and risk prevention" and to “prevent this from happening again,” according to The Independent.
©2026 Cox Media Group
