Private hospital failures contributed to death of Lady Joan Branson, inquest finds

An inquest has concluded that the failure of a private hospital to provide preventative medication contributed to the death of Lady Joan Branson. The 80 year old wife of Sir Richard Branson died on November 24 last year after suffering a cardiac arrest at the Lister Hospital in Chelsea, west London. The hospital is owned and operated by HCA Healthcare.

Westminster Coroner's Court heard that Lady Joan died from a pulmonary embolism, which is a sudden blockage in a lung artery resulting from deep vein thrombosis. She had been admitted to the hospital on November 17 following a fall on Necker Island, a British Virgin Island owned by her husband. The fall resulted in fractures to her pelvis and right hip.

Senior coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox stated that Lady Joan did not receive prophylactic anticoagulants despite a very high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. Professor Wilcox concluded that the death would have likely been prevented and that the lack of anticoagulation probably caused or contributed to it. However, the coroner noted that this was not a case of neglect and that there was not an absence of treatment.

Haematologist Dr George Adams testified that Lady Joan was extremely high risk due to her immobility and her fracture. The inquest heard that the admitting doctor, Dr Basir Kunduzi, did not complete a bleeding risk assessment on the day of admission. Dr Kunduzi stated that Lady Joan should have been on anticoagulants and said the event led him to reflect on his role as a doctor and the importance of communication between team members.

Additional testimony indicated that Lady Joan did not receive an immediate Venous Thromboembolism assessment. Her daughter, Dr Holly Branson, told the court that her mother did not have deterrent stockings for the first 48 hours after admission. Resident medical officer Dr Nevil Pavithran added that the first dose of anticoagulation prophylaxis should have been administered within 12 hours of admission.