Publish date: 23 February 2026
Launch of mutually agreed resignation scheme (MARS)
A mutually agreed resignation scheme (also known as MARS) has been approved and is open for applications from Wednesday, 11 February 2026 to Thursday, 5 March 2026. The scheme aims to support the Trust through rapid change and redesign of its services.
The scheme is currently open to all staff, and the MARS Panel (the Executive Team) will take account of the fragility of our clinical services.
The Trust will not consider patient facing roles where this would result in the inability to provide a safe service or continue to provide a contracted service. All applications will be subject to a rigorous Equality Impact Assessment and a Quality Impact Assessment.
An application should not be considered as automatic acceptance by the Trust.
The scheme in line with the National MARS rules is open to colleagues who have a minimum service of 12 months’ continuous service (continuous service being defined as NHS service with no break of greater than a week measured Sunday, to Saturday). Anyone who has already formally expressed their intention to retire will not be eligible to apply.
This is a time limited scheme, and all applications must be received by 5pm on 5 March 2026.
MARS payment will be inclusive of notice and the date of resignation will be individually agreed and will be no later than 30 June 2026. Please refer to the scheme document regarding payments for MARS based on years of service in the NHS and that the maximum payment allowed under MARS is £80,000 (pro-rata for part time staff) no matter what your salary and length of service.
Please note, even if your manager agrees to you applying for MARS that this is not confirmation that your application will be formally approved. The approval process for MARS has several steps and will be agreed and signed off by the Trust.
The full details, timeline, process and an application form are available on YourSpace.
Having read the full details, if you have any queries or need more information, please email: mars
