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Inquest finds hospital failures contributed to Lady Joan Branson's death

A London hospital failed to provide preventative medication to Sir Richard Branson's wife, BBC News reports.

The short version

  • A coroner's inquest found that the private Lister Hospital failed to administer preventative blood-thinning medication to Lady Joan Branson, which contributed to her death.[BBC News]
  • Lady Joan died at age 80 on November 24 last year after suffering a cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis following a fall on Necker Island.[BBC News]
  • Senior coroner Fiona Wilcox noted her death was likely preventable, though she emphasized the circumstances did not constitute neglect or a total lack of care.[BBC News]

Key facts

  • Lady Joan Branson died on November 24 last year after suffering a cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism at the private Lister Hospital in Chelsea.[BBC News]
  • An inquest concluded that the hospital's failure to administer prophylactic anticoagulants probably caused or contributed to her death.[BBC News]
  • The admitting doctor, Dr Basir Kunduzi, did not complete a bleeding risk assessment on Lady Joan's day of admission.[BBC News]
  • Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox determined the situation was not a case of neglect and did not represent an absence of treatment.[BBC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.