Exploring possible solutions to a problem is more important than describing the problem

EDITOR—Smeeth and Heath discuss how health inequalities might be tackled in primary care.1 We endorse their views on the importance of accurate measurement of social position and their reminder that it is people who are most at risk of serious disease who have most to gain from effective medical interventions.2

The authors emphasise the assessment of socioeconomic factors in individual consultations. Although this may sometimes be important, in general it is not the main issue, and their suggestion of yet another task to be completed in an already crowded agenda may put some people off The recording of accurate, useful data on social position need not involve general practitioners directly at all and can be recorded at registration.

Occupational class and place of residence are not fixed, and some social mobility is now a feature of society in the United Kingdom.3 It should be sufficient, however, simply to ask patients to inform the practice of changes in their address or employment-as most general practices do now. The main use of such information is not to guide the treatment of individuals but to allow rational resource allocation at practice or primary care group level. Poorer people experience more serious disease …