Lady Joan Branson, the wife of entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, died last November following a cardiac arrest at the Lister Hospital in Chelsea, west London, according to an inquest held at Westminster Coroner’s Court. The hospital, operated by HCA Healthcare, did not administer prophylactic anticoagulation medication during her admission, a factor the coroner identified as contributing to her death.

Lady Branson, 80, was admitted to the hospital on November 17, 2025, after sustaining fractures to her pelvis and right hip. These injuries resulted from a fall that occurred weeks earlier on Necker Island, a private luxury retreat owned by her husband in the British Virgin Islands. During the inquest, it was revealed that Lady Branson had described the incident to her general practitioner as "tripping over some slippers."

The coroner’s investigation clarified that Lady Joan Branson died on November 24 from a pulmonary embolism—an acute blockage in a lung artery caused by deep vein thrombosis. The inquest determined that despite her injuries putting her at increased risk of blood clots, no preventative anticoagulation treatment was given at any point from her admission until her death.

Professor Fiona Wilcox, senior coroner for Inner West London, acknowledged that the situation did not amount to neglect and stated that there was no complete absence of treatment. However, she concluded that the lack of anticoagulant therapy "probably" caused or contributed to the fatal pulmonary embolism and that the death likely could have been prevented had the medication been administered.

Testimony during the virtual inquest also revealed procedural shortcomings. The admitting hospital physician, Dr. Basir Kunduzi, failed to complete a bleeding risk assessment on the day Lady Branson was admitted, a standard procedure to evaluate the safety of administering anticoagulant medication. Dr. Kunduzi admitted that Lady Joan "should have been on anti-coagulants" and reflected that her death prompted him to reconsider his responsibilities as a medical professional.

The inquest’s findings highlight challenges in preventing blood clot-related complications among elderly patients with limited mobility following traumatic injury. The case raises awareness of the critical importance of timely risk assessment and prophylactic treatment to mitigate potentially fatal events such as pulmonary embolism in hospital settings.