Together for Short Lives categories10
| Category | Description |
| 1 | Life-threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail. Access to palliative care services may be necessary when treatment fails or during an acute crisis, irrespective of the duration of threat to life. On reaching long-term remission or following successful curative treatment. there is no longer a need for palliative care services. eg, cancer, organ failure. |
| 2 | Conditions where premature death is inevitable. There may be long periods of intensive treatment aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in normal activities, eg, cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy. |
| 3 | Progressive conditions without curative treatment options. Treatment is exclusively palliative and may commonly extend over many years, eg, batten disease, mucopolysaccharidoses. |
| 4 | Irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability, leading to susceptibility to health. Children can have complex healthcare needs, a high risk of an unpredictable life-threatening event or episode, health complications and an increased likelihood of premature death, eg, severe cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities, such as following brain or spinal cord injury. |