The National Return of Unwanted Medicines (NatRUM) Program was established in 1998 to provide a safe process for the disposal of unwanted and out-of-date medicines that is free for consumers and community pharmacies.

The Program is administered by NatRUM Ltd, a not-for-profit company that is funded by the Australian Government to collect (through community pharmacies) and destroy (though high-temperature incineration) unwanted medicines.

AHA was appointed to conduct a review of the program. The review had two areas of focus:

• A program review of the operation, efficiency, effectiveness of the program
• An organisational review of the governance and operations of NatRUM Ltd, including governance, organisational structures, risk management and sub-contracting arrangements.

Review tasks included:

• Literature and document review
• Stakeholder consultation, including in-depth interviews with:
  • NatRUM Ltd member organisation representatives, board and staff
  • Pharmacy industry and program stakeholders
  • A sample of community pharmacists
• Analysis of NatRUM Ltd expenditure and performance data.

The review was conducted in a tight time-frame – August to September 2018.

The final report details the governance and operations of NatRUM Ltd, the supply chain for the delivery, collection and destruction of unwanted or expired medicines, and outlined key findings in relation to the effectiveness and efficiency of NatRUM Ltd and the NatRUM program.

The report provides recommendations on possible enhancements or improvements to the governance, efficiency and delivery of the program, to ensure it remains sustainable.