Profile

Biography

Rowena has been working in the Department of Health funded research programme on health policy since 1999. She has a PhD in Economics from the University of York and a Masters Degree in Economics (cum laude) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Rowena has recently been awarded a post-doc fellowship funded by the Department of Health's R&D Programme to examine performance measurement in mental health care services (details http://www.nccrcd.nhs.uk/pas/).

Her research interests include health policy reforms, incentives and performance measurement with a particular interest in productivity and efficiency measurement. Recent research projects include topics such as financial incentives in primary care, commissioning patterns, waiting times and patient choice, organisational culture and performance, the use of composite performance indicators and the financial management of hospitals that have been given more autonomy. She is currently leading a second project on the ESRC Public Services Programme examining the impact of public service organisations on quality of life (details http://www.publicservices.ac.uk/our_research.asp#Projects).

Rowena has acted as consultant to various UK government and other agencies and has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and WHO. 

She is also involved in teaching a course on Health Economics for Health Care Professionals (details htttp://www.york.ac.uk/res/herc/distance/).

PhD Supervision

Rowena will be happy to consider applications for PhD study on applied economic topics in the area of mental health policy.

Curriculum vitae

• Rowena Jacobs CV (PDF , 29kb)

Research

Overview

• health policy reforms, incentives and performance measurement with a particular interest in productivity and efficiency measurement.
• financial incentives in primary care
• commissioning patterns
• waiting times and patient choice
• organisational culture and performance
• use of composite performance indicators
• financial management of hospitals that have been given more autonomy

Research group(s)

• Health Policy Team 
  

Publications

Full publications list

2011

• Jacobs R, Barrenho E. The impact of crisis resolution and home treatment teams on psychiatric admission rates in England. British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;199(1):71-76.
• Verzulli R, Jacobs R, Goddard M. Do hospitals respond to greater autonomy? evidence from the English NHS. Centre for Health Economics, University of York; CHE Research Paper 64 (PDF , 232kb), 2011.

2010

• Jacobs R. Some economic and policy considerations for outcome measurement. In: Trauer T, editor. Outcome Measurement in Mental Health. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2010
• Mannion R, Davies H, Harrison S, Konteh F, Jacobs R, Walshe K. Changing Management Cultures in the English National Health Service, Culture and Climate. In: Braithwaite J, Hyde P, Pope C, editors. Health Care Organizations. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan; 2010.

2009

• Castelli A, Jacobs R, Goddard M. Exploring the impact of public services on quality of life indicators: Public Services Programme: Quality, Performance & Delivery, Discussion Paper DP0902 2009.
• Castelli A, Jacobs R, Goddard M, Smith PC. Exploring the impact of public services on quality of life indicators. Centre for Health Economics, University of York; CHE Research Paper 46 (PDF , 1,618kb), 2009.
• Castelli A, Jacobs R, Goddard M, Smith P. Geographical variation in quality of life: the role of public service organisations. Policy Briefing, Centre for Health Economics, University of York; 2009. Geographical variation in quality of life (PDF , 252kb)
• Goddard M, Jacobs R. Using Composite Indicators to Measure Performance in Health Care In: Smith PC, Mossialos E, Leatherman S, Papanicolas I, editors. Performance Measurement for Health System Improvement: experiences, challenges and prospects. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press;2009.Chapter 3.4.
• Jacobs R. Investigating patient outcome measures in mental health. Centre for Health Economics, University of York; CHE Research Paper 48 (PDF , 1,769kb) , 2009.
• Jacobs R. Which Services Improve our Quality of Life? Britain in 2010 magazine 2009:39.
• Jacobs R, Castelli A, Goddard M, Smith PC. Impact of Public Services on Quality of Life Indicators? . LariaNews, LARIA Newsletter, Local Authorities Research Intelligence Association 2009.
• Jacobs R, Chaloupka F, Tauras J, Water H. Taxation and the Economics of Tobacco Control. In: Samet JM, Yoon SY, editors. Women and the Tobacco Epidemic: Challenges for the 21st century. Geneva: WHO; 2009.
• Jacobs R, Moran V. The uptake of mandatory outcome measures in mental health services. The Psychiatrist 2010;34:338-343.
• Jacobs R, Street A. Final report: Efficiency Analysis of PFI schemes: Report for the National Audit Office, November, pp34; 2009.
• Jacobs R, Street A. The relative efficiency of services delivered through hospital PFI contracts: Feasibility Study, Report for the National Audit Office York, Centre for Health Economics: 14pp; 2009.
• Mannion R, Harrison S, Jacobs R, Konteh F, Walsh K, Davies HTO. From cultural cohesion to rules and competition: the trajectory of senior management culture in English NHS hospitals, 2001-2008. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 2009;102:332-36.
• Siciliani L, Stanciole A, Jacobs R. Do waiting times reduce hospitals' costs? Journal of Health Economics 2009;28(4):771-80. 

2008

• Dusheiko M, Goddard M, Gravelle H, Jacobs R. Explaining trends in concentration of health care commissioning in the English NHS. Health Economics. 2008;17(8):907-26
• Marini G, Miraldo M, Jacobs R, Goddard M. Giving greater financial independence to hospitals - does it make a difference? the case of English NHS Trusts. Health Economics. 2008;17(6):751-75.

2007

• Castelli A, Dawson D, Gravelle H, Jacobs R, Kind P, Loveridge P, Street A, et al. A new approach to measuring health system output growth and productivity. National Institute Economic Review 200 (April) 105-117; 2007. Download from Sage journals Online
• Dawson D, Gravelle H, Jacobs R, Martin S, Smith PC. The effects of expanding choice of provider on waiting times: evidence from a policy experiment. Health Economics. 2007;16(2):113-28.
• Jacobs R, Smith PC, Goddard M. The development of composite indicators to measure performance in health care. In: Neely A, editor. Performance measurement: theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2007. 
• Martin S, Rice N, Jacobs R, Smith PC. The market for elective surgery: Joint estimation of supply and demand. Journal of Health Economics 2007;26(2):263-85.
• Marini G, Miraldo M, Jacobs R, Goddard M. Foundation Trusts in the NHS: does more freedom make a difference? Health Policy Matters. 2007;13:1-8. Download from Health Policy Matters
• Davies H, Mannion R, Jacobs R, Powell AE, Marshall MN. Does hospital organisational culture influence hospital performance? Medical Care Research and Review 2007;64(1):66-82.
• Jacobs R, Goddard M, Smith P. Composite performance measures in the public sector. Policy Discussion Briefing, Centre for Health Economics, University of York; 2007. Composite Performance Measures in the Public Sector (PDF , 284kb)

2006

• Dawson D, Gravelle H, Jacobs R, Martin S, Smith P. The effects of expanding patient choice of provider on waiting times: evidence from a policy experiment. Health Economics 2006;16(2):113-28.
• Dawson D, Jacobs R, Martin S, Smith PC. The impact of patient choice and waiting time on the demand for health care: Results from the London Patient Choice Project. Applied Economics 2006;38:1363-70.
• Dusheiko M, Goddard M, Gravelle H, Jacobs R . Trends in health care commissioning in the English NHS: an empirical analysis. Centre for Health Economics, University of York; CHE Research Paper 11 (PDF , 195kb) , 2006.
• Dusheiko M, Gravelle H, Jacobs R, Smith PC. The effect of budgets on doctor behaviour: evidence from a natural experiment. Journal of Health Economics 2006;25:449-78.
• Jacobs R. Performance trends in the health service: figure it out. Statisical Research Bulletin.2006;8:16-8.
• Jacobs R, Goddard M, Smith PC. Public services: are composite measures a robust reflection of performance in the public sector? Centre for Health Economics, University of York; CHE Research Paper 16 (PDF , 892kb), 2006.
• Jacobs R, Martin S, Goddard M, Gravelle H, Smith PC. Exploring the determinants of NHS performance ratings: lessons for performance assessment systems. Journal of Health Services Research and Policy 2006;11(4):211-7.    
• Jacobs R, Smith PC and Street A . Measuring efficiency in health care: analytic techniques and health policy: Cambridge University Press June 2006. Details here.

2005

• Dawson D, Gravelle H, Jacobs R, Martin S, Smith PC. The effects on waiting times of expanding provider choice: evidence from a policy experiment. Centre for Health Economics,University of York; CHE Research Paper 1 (PDF , 342kb), 2005.
• Dawson D, Gravelle H, O'Mahony M, Street A, Weale M, Castelli A, Jacobs R, Kind P, Loveridge P, Martin S, Stevens P and Stokes L. Developing new approaches to measuring NHS outputs and productivity. Centre for Health Economics, University of York; CHE Research Paper 6 (PDF , 1,306kb), 2005.
• Jacobs R. Performance trends in the health service. Figure it out: Statistical Research Bulletin 2005;5: 9-10.
• Dawson D, Gravelle H, O'Mahoney M, Street A, Weale M, Castelli A, Jacobs R, Martin S, Stevens P and Stokes L. Improving estimates of NHS output growth: experimental quality adjustments 91. York: Centre for Health Economics; 2005.
• Jacobs R, Smith PC, Goddard M. How robust are hospital ranks based on hospital measures. Medical Care 2005; 43(12):1177-84.
• Davies HTO, Mannion R, Marshall MN, Jacobs R. Findings from a quantitative analysis of all English NHS acute trusts. In: Mannion R, Davies HTO, Marshall MN, editors. Cultures for performance in health care. Buckingham: Open University Press; 2005. This book won the 2005 Baxter Award by the European Health Management Association for an outstanding publication in healhcare management.
• Jacobs R, Street A. Efficiency measurement in health care: recent developments, current practice and future research. In: Smith PC, Ginnelly L, Sculpher M, editors. Health policy and economics: opportunities and challenges: Open University Press: Berkshire;2005.

2004

• Dawson D, Jacobs R, Martin S, Smith PC. Is patient choice an effective mechanism to reduce waiting times? Applied Health Economics and Health Policy 2004;3:195-203.
• Dusheiko M, Gravelle H, Jacobs R. The effect of practice budgets on patient waiting times: allowing for selection bias. Health Economics 2004;13:941-958.
• Dawson D, Jacobs R, Martin S, Smith PC. Is patient choice an effective mechanism to reduce waiting times? Hospital 2004;5:44.
• Jacobs R, Goddard M. Letter: Setting of clinical standards. Lancet. 2004;364(9443):1399-400.
• Jacobs R, Greene C. Health: is the funding making a difference? Statistical Research Bulletin 2004; 3:7-8.

2003

• Dawson D, Jacobs R. Do we have a redundant set of cost efficiency targets in the NHS? Public Money and Management 2003;23:67-71.
• Gravelle H, Jacobs R, Jones AM, Street A. Comparing the efficiency of national health systems: a sensitivity analysis of the WHO approach. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy 2003;2:141-147.
• Jacobs R, Dawson D. Hospital efficiency targets. Health Economics 2003;12:669-684.
• Jacobs R, Dawson D. Variation in unit costs of hospitals in the English National Health Service. Journal of Health Services Research and Policy 2003;8:202-208.

External activities

Invited talks and conferences

2011 

• Jacobs R. Payment by Results (PbR) for mental health services, invited presentation, the retreat hospital, York, 21 December 2011.
• Jacobs R. Verzulli R. Goddard M. Do hospitals respond to greater autonomy? evidence on foundation trusts, invited presentation at health policy seminar series in nuffield college, Oxford, 17 November 2011.
• Jacobs R. PROMS, PbR and public policy, invited presentation at outcome measurement in mental health – the essentials, the village hotel, Leeds, (for Andrew Sims centre), 1 November 2011.
• Jacobs R. The economics of mental healthcare provision: understanding Payment by Results (PbR), NHS, Leeds, May 2011.
• Jacobs R. Medical co-morbidity, invited discussant on session at 10th workshop on costs and assessment in psychiatry: mental health policy and economics, Venice, Italy, 25-27 March 2011.
• Jacobs R. The impact of crisis resolution and home treatment teams on psychiatric admissions in England.  10th workshop on costs and assessment in psychiatry - mental health policy and economics, Venice, March 2011.