The Care Quality Commission has announced it will introduce larger inspection teams that will spend longer talking to patients in hospitals.
The CQC launched its plan for the next three years following the Francis Report into the failings at Stafford Hospital.
It is also promising to publish clearer information for the public to help them understand its reports.
The head of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) David Behan has said the Francis report "strengthens" its role as a regulator, but he admitted it must be "much better at identifying and challenging poor care". Here are some of the reforms the CQC plans to make:
The chief executive of the Care Quality Commission, David Behan, has spoken about measures that have been put in place to increase confidence in health and social health care services.
He said: "We haven't stood still, we have made progress and we're determined we will continue to make progress.
"Then we can get on with the job that we've been asked to do which is to ensure that people gain access to high quality services."
MPs have said that the Care Quality Commission was weakened last year when the body failed to address issues raised by whistleblower board member Kay Sheldon.
She had voiced concerns about poor leadership and safety breaches at the health regulator but the CQC "failed to address and act on them".
In August, The Independent reported allegations that the outgoing chair of the regular, Dame Jo Williams had attempted to discredit Ms Sheldon by casting doubts about her mental health.
The newspaper said that Dame Williams had commissioned an occupational health doctor to psychiatrically assess Ms Sheldon without her knowledge.
A report concluded Ms Sheldon, who has a history of depression, was possibly suffering from "paranoid schizophrenia" although the doctor never met her and spoke to her briefly on the phone.
She said: “I am very open about my mental health problems, but it feels like they tried to use it against me".
Dame Williams also wrote to the then Health Secretary Andrew Lansley requesting that Ms Sheldon be removed from the board.
However, he later decided that she should stay after she started legal action.
The Care Quality Commission watchdog was set up to ensure patients weren't at risk but a report by the Health Select Committee says it's failing us.
Whistleblower, Eileen Chubb, who set up her own charity after being angered by the standard of health and social care, spoke to ITV Daybreak.
She said that the CQC has 'plenty of powers, but they do not want to use them'.
The Care Quality Commission is today beginning an inspection into breast cancer screening, pathology and clinical governance at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The inspection comes as 79 women are being recalled relating to test results from breast tissue biopsies.
– David Behan, CQC Chief ExecutiveThis urgent inspection will allow us to take an in-depth look at the quality and safety of the trust's services that relate to breast cancer screening.