About Dr Cade –
Practice Information
Dr Cade’s rooms are located at Epworth Freemasons Private Hospital Suite 101, 320 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne.
These rooms are shared with Associate Professor Len Kliman, who is Dr Cade’s original and most significant mentor, and incidentally responsible for Dr Cade choosing obstetrics as a career.
Dr Cade will be on-call for your birth, unless physically away.
Weekend and holiday cover is shared with Dr’s Guy Skinner and Lionel Steinberg.
Dr Cade will often stay on-call for his own patients over the weekend, and will always make his patients aware if he is going to be away.
Bridget
Practice Manager
Bridget provides a crucial role in overseeing all practice operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
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Bridget has worked as a medical secretary since 1997 and has been managing the practice since 2014 .
Bridget is the proud mother of two and grandmother to three wonderful grandchildren.
Louise (Lou)
Senior Midwife
With over 20 years of experience in midwifery, Lou is a dedicated and compassionate professional committed to supporting women and families throughout their maternity journey.
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She began her career as a nurse, earning her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Ballarat and gaining valuable experience as a general nurse at Epworth Freemasons. Lou’s passion for women’s health led her to pursue a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery at La Trobe University and The Royal Women’s Hospital, where she refined her expertise.
After years of hands-on experience at Epworth Freemasons Maternity Hospital, Lou transitioned to private practice after the birth of her two daughters, finding the flexibility of regular hours beneficial for family life. For over 15 years, she has worked alongside Associate Professor Len Kliman, offering personalized, high-quality care to women. Alongside this role, Lou’s private midwifery practice with Tom has flourished, and she finds immense joy in providing exceptional care to her clients.
In her continuous pursuit of professional growth, Lou recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Midwifery Diagnostics and Prescribing and is currently furthering her knowledge by studying with the International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC).
Lou’s dedication to her clients, her ongoing education, and her years of experience make her an invaluable asset to the field of midwifery, and she takes great pride in helping each family she works with navigate their unique maternity experience.
Jessica (Jess)
Midwife
Jess is an experienced Clinical Midwife Specialist currently rotating across the Birth Suite, Special Care Nursery, and Postnatal Units at Epworth Freemasons.
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Since completing her Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) in 2018, Jess embarked on her graduate year at Epworth Freemasons in 2019 and has been a committed member of the maternity care team ever since.
In 2023, she completed a Graduate Certificate in Special Care Nursery through the University of Melbourne, deepening her expertise in caring for newborns requiring more intensive and specialised support. She will also be expanding her clinical skills further by working toward a Graduate Certificate in Diagnostics and Prescribing.
Jess’ multifaceted role at Epworth Freemasons allows her to support families through all stages of their early journey—from labour and birth to postnatal care and the nurturing environment of the special care nursery.
Jess is dedicated to evidence-based practice, compassionate care, and continual professional growth to ensure the best outcomes for mothers and their babies.
Jess loves being able to follow patient journeys along pregnancy, through to the birthsuite and beyond!
Why choose private over public care?
The main reason to choose a private obstetrician is to guarantee a specialist is in attendance at your birth and to have your choice of which person this is.
Australia is very lucky to have a comprehensive public health system that is fully government funded and overall health outcomes are very good. However, the system is reliant on trainee doctors (interns, residents and registrars) providing the bulk of the care under supervision from specialists (in person or by telephone), you may also experience significant wait times in public care due to resource constraints.
You are unlikely to know, in a public hospital, who will be present at the birth of your baby until it happens nor if your immediate care will be led by midwives, junior doctors, senior doctors or a combination.
Choosing a private obstetrician allows you to have that choice of person and to develop a rapport and relationship. If an emergency decision is required during labour or birth, you have the confidence it is being made by a fully qualified specialist and someone you have met and known for a long period of time. It also means you have the security of 24-hour access to experienced clinical practitioners should you need it.
