He said Burrows had “huge support” within the UUP but there has been “a lack of communication”.
“Jon Burrows is an incredibly good communicator to the public through the media, but what I notice and what seems to be the case is he doesn’t really communicate well with his MLA group,” he added.
“When his MLA group don’t even know that Mike has resigned and they find out through the media, then there is something seriously wrong about how they are being treated.”
Beattie denied there was “animosity” between MLAs and Burrows but he described issues over some policies being “changed radically on the hoof”.
“I really think by listening to the words that Jon said undermined Mike, undermined Mike’s position as the health minister, and Mike had no other choice in many ways on reflection,” he added.
Speaking before the appointment of Robbie Butler, Beattie also said a new health minister would be unable to “affect any change whatsoever” in the months before next year’s Stormont assembly elections.
“If they do anything that’s of any worth it’s probably doing what Mike had already started,” he added.