OP my experience is that it is very very hard to get a MH ward bed, so I don’t think the decision to section you will have been taken lightly. On the wards I’ve been on, the psychiatrists have always been keen to get people discharged as soon as they’re able to keep themselves safe at home (with community and outpatient support) so hopefully you won’t be in there too long. The general thinking now seems to be that people only start to truly recover once in their normal environment, so they don’t want to keep you in the hospital bubble too long.
I found on one stay that the nurses weren’t proactive and I could go days without speaking to one. I ended up chasing them repeatedly to get some 1:1 time with them. I found this helpful as, apart from anything else, they tend to be making the notes that brief the psychiatrist about how you’re doing. If your allocated nurse is shit but another seems alright, see if you can have an informal chat with the alright one - diplomacy can help. It shouldn’t be this hard, I know, but I found this helped.
My only other advice is to be absolutely honest with your nurses and psychiatrist. I know it’s it hard to figure out the right things to say that will get you home quicker, but you will just end up back in hospital. It’s not worth it.
Oh, and really pin them down on what your discharge plan and follow up will be - this is a frequent place where things break down and your recovery can be compromised. Again, it shouldn’t be like this but often is.
If there are community meetings on the ward, attend them and make your feelings about the general ward environment known. These should be minutes and treated with some seriousness.
If you don’t feel well enough to advocate for yourself right now, get friends or family involved and give them permission to be involved with your care. Getting an independent advocate is also a great idea.