Many patient groups, NHS and professional organisations and pharmaceutical companies lay on projects and special activities for Ask About Medicines Week. But the principles behind Ask About Medicines apply all year round, not just in the Week itself. To encourage partner organisations to extend existing Ask About Medicines initiatives, or develop new ones, were able to provide a second phase of Ask About Medicines Grants for 2007/08.

Ask about Medicines awarded Ask Grants to ten projects. Organised in partnership with Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited, Ask Grants supported activities to do with medicines and medicine taking that empower patients and encourage better dialogue with health professionals.

Ask Grants were awarded to:

• Royal Surrey County Hospital
• Life Education Centre (Wiltshire) Ltd
• East Riding & Hull LPC
• Swindon Borough Council
• West Midlands Medicines for Children LRN
• Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN)
• East Lancashire TPCT
• Dudley PCT
• University of Nottingham
• The Allergy Show

Many of the successful initiatives focus on reaching children and young people with information about medicines and the importance of asking questions.