GPs are being offered “bribed” to ration drugs for elderly care home residents, patients groups say.

A scheme in Oxfordshire is offering GP practices “cash back” for money saved from drug budgets for the frail elderly.

Health officials the financial incentives were intended to encourage family doctors to “review the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of their prescribing”.

But local GPs have lambasted the move. And patients’ groups said it amounted to an attempt to “bribe” GPs into putting financial savings ahead of the needs of the elderly.

NHS Oxfordshire clinical commissioning group (CCG) has set GPs targets in a bid to save at least £1.45 million.

Practices have been told to cut spending on medication by at least £2 per care home resident - and told they can keep £1 per patient, plus half of any more savings made,

All payments under the scheme will go into practice funds and not to individuals.

The CCG has advised family doctors to “rationalise” prescribing of drugs to frail patients over 70, who suffer from a number of health problems.

The cost-cutting scheme is being offered to all GP practices in the county for 2017/18, NHS papers seen by Pulse magazine state.